Citizens High School is honored to announce the recognition of Ms. Victoria Dávalos Dueñas as our Student of the Month for January 2021. Vicki, as her family & friends affectionately call her, is a senior at Citizens High School from the country of Ecuador. She was recently presented with the achievement in a video conference, which included Dr. Jim Etter, CEO of Citizens High School, Dr. Jennifer Blalock, Chief Academic Officer at Citizens, as well as a number of friends, fellow students at the Kruger School and her family. We invite you to view the entire ceremony here. Vicki was selected by Citizens High School staff and faculty for her outstanding academic achievements, as well as her volunteerism in her community. She was nominated by her Economics for Financial Literacy Professor, Dr. Allen Farina. One of her peers from her learning community at the Kruger School, David Morales, commented that “We are really proud, as working with her, and this is an accomplishment she really deserves. She has been very responsible in all of her work, and she took very seriously her high school studies and all her assignments.”
The following are some highlights of the Q & A during the presentation ceremony:
Dr. Jennifer Blalock (JB): “Tell us a little about your journey at Citizens High School?”
Victoria Dávalos Dueñas (VD): “This is my first year in Citizens High School, I think it is a great program. I have been able to be flexible in my schedule and my activities. I am very glad to have found this option as my senior year. I will use my American diploma (from Citizens) to apply to certain colleges in the United States and start my career as a lawyer from there.”
JB: “How are you able to manage your time to be so successful in all of those areas?”
VD: “I think that having good grades is not about being intelligent, but rather being organized with all your time. Apart from what I do in school and getting good grades, I volunteer in organizations that assist in helping make education available for everyone, so I think I’m able to do all of this by managing my time and also prioritizing certain things.”
JB: “If you had any advice to give to a student who is thinking about taking an online course, what would you tell them?”
VD: “I would say it is about being organized and learning how to manage your time and organizing your life and what to study.”
JB: “Any words of encouragement for students who are starting an online course of study for the first time, and like you love to be around other people?”
VD: “It’s hard times for sure, especially for me that I am a really social person, so I was used to going to school and talking to my friends every day and laughing, and that suddenly changed, so for me, it was a huge change. But, I think sometimes when a door closes, a window opens, and that happens in life. Maybe we are all now studying online, but this has been a great opportunity for me and my future, so maybe it’s not all that bad, but can also help you. You can have many more options and chances in life when a door closes.”
