Saint Ursula Academy is proud to announce its 2025 Valedictorian and Salutatorian.  

 

Eleanor Smith of Hyde Park earned the honor of Class of 2025 Valedictorian by earning the highest cumulative GPA throughout her four years at SUA. She receives a gold medal for her academic achievement. 

 

Anna Hamant of Hyde Park earned the second-highest cumulative GPA throughout her four years at SUA, making her Salutatorian of the Class of 2025. Anna receives a silver medal for her academic achievement. 

 

“Saint Ursula Academy is historically known for the strength of its academic programming that is challenging at every level,” said Saint Ursula Academy Principal Kathy Restle. “To graduate at the top of the class is an exceptional honor and reflects hard work and a significant commitment to their education by each of these talented students.” 

 

Eleanor (Ellie) Smith plans to attend Purdue University to study Mechanical Engineering. She has been interested in engineering for a while, but says a lot of the classes she has taken over the past four years reinforced that for her.
 

“I think that taking CCP Engineering through SUA and having an overall STEM focus in my classes helped to affirm my interest in engineering.  I really enjoyed Honors Physics because it had a lot of collaboration and I was able to learn a lot in that class. I also think that AP Spanish was one of my favorites, because I felt challenged in a good way, and was also able to get a lot out of the class.”

 

Eleanor found a lot of support from classmates because of SUA's small class sizes and the fact that a lot of the classes included students from multiple grade levels. Supportive teachers also played a big role in Eleanor’s success. “Dr. O’Mahoney played a big part in my achievement, because I had him as a teacher for six quarters, and he was always willing to listen and offer advice. I could also go to his room during 5th bell or lunch if I needed a place to focus on work.”

 Eleanor’s advice to current and future Bulldogs is to pursue what you love. “Don't feel like you need to take every single AP or all honors classes to be successful. I would say just focus on things you enjoy and things you are good at and you'll do well. And don't be afraid to do stuff outside of academics, some of my best memories at SUA are from doing things with the friends I made and with the Cross Country and track teams.”

 

Anna Hamant plans to attend the University of Notre Dame to pursue a Major in chemical engineering and a minor in bioengineering. Anna has always wanted to work in the healthcare field. Through high school, she realized how much she preferred math and the sciences and found that engineering is the perfect overlap. “Chemical engineering will allow me to have a broad education, while bioengineering will help me to narrow in on the medical applications of math and science.”

 

Anna shared that the variety of courses and levels offered at Saint Ursula allowed her to explore different fields and figure out which subjects she preferred. The schedule gave her ample room to take all of the math and science courses she wanted, like Engineering. 

 

“I especially enjoyed Honors Physical Science and Honors Biology during my freshman year because those are both fields that interest me. We completed a variety of fun labs that helped us to apply our learning to real-world scenarios. I also particularly enjoyed robotics, which I took as a sophomore because the entire course was hands-on. I enjoyed being challenged with obstacle courses and other various tasks that we had to make a robot perform and the opportunity to explore the new and growing field of robotics.”

 

Anna says she is grateful for the immeasurable support she received at Saint Ursula in a community she feels she can always turn to for help. 

 

“I have met amazing classmates and teachers who push me to try my hardest while reassuring me that it is okay to make mistakes along the way. I know that when times get stressful, the SUA community is supportive and eager to help. All of my teachers are extremely helpful and have always been there for me. They enthusiastically answer any question and make me feel comfortable asking them about whatever is on my mind. Mrs. Rosen helped me explore fields that I am interested in working in. She taught me robotics, honors pre-calc, honors physics, and AP physics. She lets my classmates and I know any time there is an opportunity for us to get involved and relates what we are learning to how we can pursue it in the future.”

Anna’s advice for current and future Bulldogs: “Do not be afraid to try new things. It is beneficial to meet as many people as you can and to pursue anything that interests you. Don’t be afraid to take a class where you may not know anyone, because those often ended up being my favorite classes. I would also advise them to find joy in the little things. High school can be overwhelming when you start but the small memories are the ones that stick with you.”

 

Congratulations, Eleanor and Anna! To learn more about Saint Ursula Academy and its curriculum for students of all academic levels, please visit www.saintursula.org.