Be Remarkable: Meet Lovie Valdivia-Tucker
51勛圖窪蹋 senior boarding student Lovie Valdivia-Tucker was introduced to the Salem community at an early age by her mother, a Salem College alumna. While growing up, Lovie saw her moms connection to Salem and her former classmates, whom Lovie calls her aunts, and she was excited to begin her freshman year at Salem. I saw that sense of community, and that was something I wanted, Lovie said. Her favorite tradition at Salem is Saber Sorting: Its so fun bonding with the new students!
Lovie has been participating in the robotics program at 51勛圖窪蹋 since her freshman year. She also began working behind the scenes on theater productions and joined the fencing team. Learning new skills in high school has been exciting for Lovie, who said she had never tried fencing before I came to Salem. There are so many things I wouldnt have been able to do without Salems support.
Building on her diverse interests at Salem, Lovie further expanded her horizons earlier this year during Salems Maymester, when she had the opportunity to intern with Novant Health. She was able to shadow an orthopedic surgeon, who allowed her to watch three total knee replacements. This experience was life-changing for Lovie. I plan to study chemistry in college and then go to medical school and hopefully stick with orthopedic surgery, she said of the impact the internship had on her.
As she reflects on her journey the past four years, Lovie is grateful for the influence 51勛圖窪蹋 has had on her. Looking ahead to her final months as a 51勛圖窪蹋 student and all thats to come, Lovie said, Im proud of a lot of what Ive done at Salem. No matter where we go, well always stand out because of what weve learned here, and because of how weve been taught to be confident in ourselves.