Julia Dolan was announced as the Newtown High School Class of 2021’s valedictorian and Sarah Nowacki as the salutatorian, at the school on May 5. Both recently reflected on their educational experiences in phone interviews with The Newtown Bee.

“I’ve been here the entire time,” Julia said, adding that she attended Head O’ Meadow Elementary School.

She remembers crying the night before attending kindergarten for the first time.

“I didn’t want to go. I think I was afraid of leaving home,” said Julia.

The valedictorian is no longer afraid to leave home, but there are things she will miss when she heads to Cambridge in the fall to study economics at Harvard University. She is also excited to be near Boston.

“It’s just really beautiful,” said Julia, who is also thinking of studying finance at Harvard.

She is drawn to studying humanities and math, and attending Harvard “felt like keeping my options open,” as it has many resources and offers its students an array of opportunities along with “a great alumni network,” said Julia.

Her favorite subjects at NHS were calculus and statistics, and “I’ve also loved taking Spanish.”

Julia reflected that her parents, father James and mother Judit, taught her a lot.

“Both my parents have encouraged me to work really hard,” she shared, adding that her father is a carpenter. “I guess I have looked up to them my whole life because they work really hard to make a home for us. And they both really encouraged me along the way to work hard, study hard, but to have a good time.”

Some of her favorite teachers at NHS have been Eugene Hall, Abigail Marks, and Christopher Pearson.

When asked to share advice for students, Julia said, “Stop and appreciate what you already have and what you have already accomplished.” Especially in high school, Julia said, it is easy to focus on what is left to accomplish, and she would have liked to pause more to reflect on how lucky she was to achieve what she did.

And along the way, Julia said, she has fond memories of “good times” with friends. She was a member of the school’s debate team and tennis team. Events like spirit week and homecoming were always fun, too, she said.

“It was when everyone sort of let loose the most,” said Julia.

The last school year was certainly different. Julia said she was upset when school first went “fully online” because she missed seeing everyone each day. But then there was excitement when the student body returned to in-person learning.

When asked about her studying techniques, Julia laughed and admitted she tends to procrastinate, “but not to the point where I can’t get it done.”

“I feel like I do my best work under some pressure,” said Julia. “That is definitely when I am best motivated.”

She said studying with her friends was a big help, because she if found something she did not understand, her friends were capable of helping. She also uses apps to study.

“And if I have an exam or something, I never wing it,” she reflected. “Even if I left studying to the last night, I would go through the text book, all the resources I was given in class, and take the time to make sure I understand it.”

Kind And Supportive Inspiration

Sarah is the youngest of four siblings, and her older sister and brothers — Michaela, John, and Ben — have each been kind and supportive inspirations, as have her parents, mother Laura and father David. With two parents who are doctors, Sarah said she has always known she wanted to go into the field of medicine. So this fall, Sarah is heading to the University of Connecticut, Storrs, to study physiology and neurobiology on a pre-med track.

“They are just so supportive. My mom and dad have always been so supportive in letting me do whatever I wanted to do,” said Sarah, noting a “nice balance” between pushing her and giving her space.

From a young age, Sarah said she knew she wanted to study medicine and help people, “especially after Sandy Hook. I knew that I really wanted to help others.”

The Sandy Hook Elementary School graduate had a hard time limiting the number of teachers that have stood out and inspired her.

“There are just so many good teachers in Newtown,” said Sarah. She named her kindergarten teacher, Miryam Kuligowski, and her second grade teacher, Abbey Clements, who “was just so sweet, so helpful, and just always there for me,” as two of the first teachers to inspire her. Sarah said her sixth grade cluster — with teachers Matt Dalton and Petrice DiVanno — at Reed was “just such a fun cluster.” And at Newtown High School, Tara Allegretto, Eugene Hall, and Larry Saladin each inspired Sarah in different classes.

Sarah plays volleyball both at NHS and on a club team. She also participates in indoor and outdoor track at NHS.

“I like having sports after school. I think it helps plan out my day and gives me an outlet,” said Sarah.

Sarah is not waiting until college to start her journey of helping others through the field of medicine. Last summer she worked in her mother’s office and this summer she plans to complete EMT training with the hope of volunteering soon.

Her goals include attending medical school, possibly becoming an emergency room doctor, and, “Overall, I just want to live a good life, help as many people as I can, and hopefully live a long and healthy life as well.”

When asked to share her best advise for other students, Sarah said, “Don’t stress too much about school. Yes, it is important, but being happy and loving what you do is more important.”

She strongly advised finding a good balance with school and outside of school activities, doing extracurriculars, spending time with friends, and playing sports.

Throughout her educational career in Newtown, Sarah said her friends have always been there for her and she appreciates the time they spent hanging out.

“I honestly think the Newtown community is one of the best, especially after Sandy Hook, seeing how the community came together,” Sarah shared, emphasizing that everyone cares about each other and the message of “be kind” is prevalent here. If anyone is struggling, Sarah knows everyone in Newtown is “there to help.”

Julia said she sees many members of the community while working at Caraluzzi’s Market in Newtown.

“I think we are def pretty lucky. We have a really supportive community and I have always felt that if I need help I have people in the community who are willing and want to help me,” said Julia.

She already knows she will miss Newtown, her neighbors, her teachers, and her parents.

“It was just a really nice place to grow up,” said Julia.

She hopes her future holds finding something she is “truly passionate about” and using whatever that is to “give back, especially to my parents, and to my community as well, and all the people who have helped me get where I am.”

Eliza Hallabeck can be reached at eliza@thebee.com.