Trinity valedictorian: I’m my own person

Trinity High School's Class of 2012 valedictorian is Alexandra Lamacki of River Forest and the salutatorian is Olivia Mott of Forest Park. | Photo courtesy of Trinity High School

Updated: July 3, 2012 11:23AM

Growing up Alexandra Lamacki of River Forest dreamed of becoming valedictorian of her high school. On Friday it came true.

At Trinity High School’s Class of 2012 graduation ceremony on May 25, she gave the valedictorian address to the class and hundreds in attendance in the school’s auditorium. During her speech she admitted she had wanted the honor since the sixth grade.

But setting high goals for herself is nothing new and was not the result of parental pressure.

“My parents were always telling me to cool down and relax and saying it’s OK to get a B, but I would say no way,” she said. “I don’t like to calm down, so it was mostly from me.”

“I always tried to be the best at whatever school I was in,” she said. “I love learning and I want to get a Ph.D and M.D. someday.”

It’s safe to say she’s well on her way to achieving that with a grade point average of 4.81.

She really enjoys the sciences and plans on attending Haverford College in Philadelphia, Pa., where she plans to study psychology and neurology.

“I wants to be a medical researcher in neurology,” she said. “ I want to do a lot of research on neural diseases like Alzheimer’s and Fibromyalgia, a really painful nerve disease where they (nerves) fire improperly.”

But she’s not all about book learning and plans to minor in studio art, painting and drawing. In her spare time she enjoys painting.

“It really relaxes,” she said. “I like oil paints the best.”

While at Trinity she was heavily involved in the school’s theater productions as well as surrounding communities.

“I do a lot of theater,” she said. “I’m the stage manager for a lot of the shows at Trinity and I’m a company member at Circle Theater in Oak Park.”

For the past two years while Lamacki was in class, her mother, Andrea, was working at the school as an executive assistant to the high school’s president.

Andrea Lamacki said working for the school is her way of giving back and it did not interfere with her daughter’s time at school. She said other students often refer to her as “Mom” or “Momma Lamacki.”

“It’s a small community, but it’s a very tight community,” Andrea Lamacki said. “It’s been great.”

Alexandra Lamacki said her mother working at her high school was no big deal and will miss the easy access to her.

“We always drive to school together and I would have rehearsals later and she’d come pick me up,” she said.

“It’s really cool, it’s super convenient,” she said. “It’s going to be awkward when I’m in college and her office isn’t down the hall.”

Andrea Lamacki said she’s glad her daughters Alexandra and Amanda, who graduated in 2010, attended Trinity High School.

“Trinity is that all-empowering girl concept where they can be what they want to be,” she said. “I want to help empower girls. I worked hard to make sure my girls were strong and I wanted them to be strong girls and empower women.”

Dad Greg Lamacki said all he asked from her daughters was to do their best. “We’ve been pretty consistent with her that results don’t matter but be consistent,” he said.

But he’s still proud of her daughter’s accomplishment.

“I’m pretty proud she achieved her goal,” he said. “I never said be a valedictorian, but set your own goals and set your own desires and she has achieved them.”

Now things will soon change with new challenges.

“It hasn’t really hit me yet,” Alexandra said. She and her friends will be scattered across the country.

“It’s very bittersweet,” she said.

But says attending Trinity has made her confident enough to handle what comes in the future.

“I think it taught me a lot about being my own person and not being afraid of being my own person,” she said. “It’s been really great being at an all-girls school.”

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