Framingham Student Victoria Clark Keefe Tech Valedictorian

Superintendent-Director James Lynch announced Victoria Clark of Framingham, daughter of Monique and Ivory Clark, has been named the Class of 2012 Valedictorian, and Igor Alves of Ashland, son of Fatima Rangel, has been named the Class of 2012 Salutatorian.

The graduation ceremony is today, June 2 at 11 a.m.

An information technology student, Clark said being named first in her class was a great award for her hard work. “I’ve always taken advantage of every opportunity given to me, pushed myself, and been proud of staying on top of everything. It’s a good feeling to know that the hard work over the years has gotten me here."

During her four years at Keefe Tech, Clark excelled in the Information Technology career technical program as well as in her honors academic courses. A recipient of multiple school awards for excellence in math, science, history, and English, Clark also interned at , as a technical analyst from June of 2011 until February 2012 through the school’s cooperative education program.

“When I came to Keefe Tech, I really felt like everything clicked. With all of the recent growth in the technology field, I was very interested in expanding my knowledge in Information Technology. I feel like my education here has helped me to reach my full potential both academically and vocationally,”
said Clark.

In addition to her accomplishments in the classroom, Clark has been a three-sport athlete during all four of her years at Keefe, serving as captain of the varsity basketball team and a member of the varsity Track & Field, varsity volleyball, and JV soccer teams.

She has also been an active member of her school community as Student Government Vice President, a member of the National Honor Society and Student Council, and a participant in the Leadership Through Service program, Toastmasters program, SkillsUSA, and Business Professionals of America.

“I think what I’ll miss most about Keefe are the people; my friends and my teachers. They’ve given me the guidance and support I needed to keep going. I’ve been inspired to do well because my teachers have been like friends. They are the best teachers I’ve ever had. I’ve done it for my parents, because I want to make them proud. And I did it for me, so I would know that I always gave my best,” Clark said.

After graduation, Clark will attend Oakland University in Michigan to pursue a degree in Electrical Engineering based on her interests in the Information Technology field.

In addition to being named the Valedictorian of her class, Clark is this year’s recipient of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents’ Award and the Keefe Tech Student Athlete Award, among other academic and career
technical awards.

Also an Information Technology student, Salutatorian Igor Alves said the race to the top was made even more competitive because it was between friends. “I’m proud to share this honor with Vicky. It made it even more fun to fight for it with her,” he said. “There’s been so much building up to the end of the year, and the friendly competition was just more motivation to do well,” he added.

Alves transferred to Keefe Tech as a sophomore after moving to Ashland. “The first thing I noticed about Keefe Tech was the great sense of community that exists here. You are given so many opportunities, and you can grasp them and better yourself and go to college or have a career. I went for everything that was presented to me. It’s been a lot of fun and a lot of work, but it’s all paid off,” Alves said.

Beyond his academic and career technical achievements, Alves has been an active member of the Keefe Tech school community. He is a three-year member of the varsity soccer team and the varsity volleyball team, for which he also served as captain.

He is Secretary for the school chapter of the National Honor Society, a member of Student Council, and Class Treasurer. Additionally, Alves was elected as the 2011-2012 Massachusetts Business Professionals of America State Vice President and also served as the President of the Keefe Tech Chapter of Business Professionals of America.

Alves was awarded a full scholarship to Brandeis University in Waltham, where he plans to major in Computer Science. “I’m the first in my family to go to college. When I told my mother that I had a full scholarship to Brandeis, I had never seen her so happy. She worked so hard to get me to where I am today and always told me to strive to be the best,” he said.

In addition to being named the Class of 2012 Salutatorian, Alves is the recipient of the Massachusetts Vocational Association Award and the Keefe Tech Award, which is given to an outstanding senior who has demonstrated tremendous commitment to both academic and school community and truly exemplifies the spirit of Keefe Tech.