Veronica Wolnicki on lessons learned

The daughter of Polish immigrants, Veronica Wolnicki, Monroe-Woodbury High School’s 2025 valedictorian, said she was just happy to make her parents proud.

A future Binghamton University Bearcat, the 17 year old said she was initially surprised to hear she had earned such a title, adding that although it was overwhelming at first, being named valedictorian is a “pretty cool accomplishment.”

Hailing from Central Valley, she is planning to study mathematics because while others sometimes find her interest in the subject weird, she finds it fun when “everything just works out.”

Wolnicki specifically gave thanks to her parents for supporting her in her journey.

“They built this life for me, they work hard every day, and they still manage to come to my needs,” she said. “They drive me to competition, they do everything for me. I really commend them for that, and they are a huge inspiration to me.”

Drawing from her interest in math, Wolnicki said she hoped to explore fields like statistics, data science or actuarial science following graduation from college, as she finds the potential to use her math skills to help people appealing.

Aside from her academic accolades, Wolnicki participated in both track and cross country for the past four years. At Binghamton, she said she hopes to join the running club to continue her sport but at a less competitive level.

She also serves as the treasurer for the Spanish honors society and a LEAD program mentor for the school’s freshmen, helping them to navigate high school their first year.

In crafting her upcoming valedictorian speech, Wolnicki said she tried to implement outside experiences and elements of humor while drawing from the idea that everything happens for a reason.

“Whether you take a really hard course and you’re regretting it, and you think it’s the worst thing in the world, that will teach you how to be more resilient and how to study better and it will just change you moving forward,” she said. “I think it’s really important to remember that.”

Additionally, Wolnicki reflected on her experience this past year attending a science research competition. While she and the other participating students had to wake up early, she said it was ultimately rewarding to see the projects everyone developed throughout the past three years. Hers centered around blue light filtering glasses, primarily targeting women after Wolnicki discovered there was initially little research focusing on that demographic.

Even as valedictorian, Wolnicki emphasized that she sometimes faced moments of self-doubt and struggle in the classroom, specifically highlighting her time in AP chemistry. After receiving a rough grade where she forgot to complete the back page of the test, she said she realized she needed to learn to better trust herself.

Especially as a freshman, Wolnicki said minor setbacks often induced a lot of stress, and she had to learn not to take things too seriously.

“It is not one little thing that changes your whole course, it is just one step in the whole thing,” she said. “And it is really what you make of it.”

Wolnicki took a brief journey to the past, recalling some of the pop culture she enjoyed growing up. Mentioning that this might only make sense to those who know her well, Wolnicki said the Pixar film Cars - specifically “Cars 1” and “Cars 2” - were two of her favorite films.

“The Maze Runner” series were some of her favorite books, she added, especially as they narratively piggyback on the grander idea of fending for oneself.

Preparing for the year of changes ahead, Wolnicki said she is excited to embrace this quality and grasp her imminent independence.

“Right now everything is so structured, go to school, go to practice, do homework,” she said. “But I’m excited for the freedom to meet new people, do new things, and I’m really excited to be able to choose it for myself.”