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HARLINGEN – She started off at day one.
Now, 12 years later, Hannah Shaikh is getting ready to graduate valedictorian from the Harlingen School of Health Professions.
“I feel really relieved and proud because this is what I’ve been working toward ever since I was in elementary,” said Hannah, 18. “I’ve always had this mind set of being a hard worker, and I’m really goal oriented.”
Salutatorian Grace Ramirez has high standards for herself, too.
“I worked so hard for this so it’s good to see my dreams come to fruition,” said Grace, 18. “I’ve been up in the one or two spot for pretty much my whole time at Health Professions, so I kind of already knew.”
When Principal Tina Garza handed her the card making salutatorian status official, she was a “little bit” disappointed about not making valedictorian but not much.
“I always shoot high,” she said, “but it’s a good honor to be salutatorian as well.”
Both women have developed strong study skills to get their top spots in class.
“I like planning ahead, and I like being organized,” Hannah said. “And so, I just try to manage my time, like every time I woke up, I would say, ‘OK, I have to do this this hour, and then the next hour I have to do this,’ and I would just plan my day out and write it down.”
Grace also emphasized the importance of time management.
“When I get home from school, I like to focus on whatever test I have next,” she said. “I like to put on some music, and I like to just be in my zone of reviewing old notes and watching some YouTube videos about the subject.”
She asked lots of questions and if she still didn’t understand she’d go to tutorials and talk to teachers.
“Studying with friends is always great as well,” she said. “They always have different perspectives on things.”
Hannah describes herself as a visual learner.
“I have to see in order to learn,” she said. “I like writing notes, especially color coding, that really helps me a lot.”
She’s been at HSHP since eighth grade, but her foundation in the medical professions began much earlier.
“My mom is a nurse, my two older brothers are doctors, so I was already kind of exposed to that field,” she said. “I have a special needs brother and I’ve always had to help take care of him.”
So, it’s not surprising she’s decided to study nursing at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
“I was already used to that, and I really wanted to help other people too,” she said.
Grace is fascinated by the inner workings of the brain.
“I want to pursue neuro surgery,” she said. “I find the brain to be really interesting. I’ve always wanted to be a surgeon of some sort. And actually a year or two ago my dad had a stroke. So it’s something I want to pursue now.”
