Valentina, also known to her friends as Val, Val has many great accomplishments throughout her high school career, some of them being in sports, academics, and friendships. Val attended Mathew Whaley Elementary School and Berkley Middle School before she attended Lafayette High School. She has participated in Cross Country and Track for all 4 years here at Lafayette High School. Val describes her favorite memory in Cross Country as being when she ran at the RVA relays for the first time her
Valentina at the starting line preparing to run a 5k (Cher Lobash)
Sophomore year, and also going to Cross Country States during her Sophomore year of High School. Academically, Val has participated in The Governor’s School of Science and Technology also know as Gov School for short, since her junior year of high school. Val also participates in many extracurricular activities in and out of school. She has founded her own club called Hosa which is a medical-based club, she is an active member of Model United Nations and is also the Secretary of Key Club International. Outside of school she enjoys volunteering at our local hospital. On top of all her rigorous classwork, many AP classes, and her commitment to her clubs, she is also doing an Honors Project. Val’s Honors Project consists of writing a 25 page research paper on diversity in healthcare, she will also be making matching pamphlets. She also has many hobbies outside of her academic and sports life.
Val poses in Italy during sunset (Val’s Instagram)
Val loves to travel , she has family from Italy and Bulgaria and over the summer she went to travel and visit them for a month. She doesn’t ever stop talking about how much she loves Europe, especially Italy, and how bad she wants to go travel there again. She will also make an occasional remark on her moving there in the future. She also enjoys her summer job as a lifeguard at the local Fords Colony Pool, which is also where all of her friends work. Val also loves Cava, a fast casual Mediterranean style restaurant. I have been to Cava with her numerous times and every time she orders a greens bowl and toppings that make her bowl turn out colorful. You will also never catch her without her favorite energy drink from the brand Bloom, I worry sometimes that she will have a heart attack from the mass amounts of caffeine she takes in.
Now to her friendships, I met Val during summer practices at Cross Country Freshman year.
Val, Mia, and Abby posing at practice after accidentally showing up in color coordinating outfits. (Cher Lobash)
My first day of Cross Country practice, fellow Junior, Abby Crookston, Val, and I coincidentally showed up in color coordinated outfits. I was a bit intimated by Val’s age and athleticism. As the year went on, I got to know Val and witness her outstanding character. You can’t help but smile when Val is in your presence. It wasn’t until summer going into my Sophomore year that we became close. It all started when Val and I got ice cream and went to dinner after the school’s open house. I have so many fond memories with her that I don’t even know where to start. From driving on the (Colonial) Parkway late at night, to going to Starbucks after a long day of school, or attempting to make cake pops in my kitchen. On top of this, she was one of the only reasons that I decided to participate in Cross Country and stick with it throughout the school year even when we were both on the verge of quitting. I always looked forward to getting to see her at practice (on the days she showed up) and catch up with her on our warm-up runs because, sadly, she is too fast for me to run with. I also had the honor of making her Senior poster for Cross Country’s senior night.
Val and Mia pose in a picture at one of the many shops they visited in Pittsburgh (Val)
Junior, Abigail Crookston and I put lots of work into making Val’s poster along with the 10 other Seniors on the team. Senior night was bittersweet for many of us. Reality hit, that Val was going to graduate and soon head off to college. I will forever be thankful for making the decision to do Cross Country Freshman year because if I didn’t I would have never met Val. I don’t have a doubt in my mind that she won’t go off to an amazing college and do great things.
