DHS Salutatorian Weilin Berkey will be attending Pratt Institute in New York City as an architecture major come fall.

Berkey remembers her transition from middle to high school as “exciting”. She was very active during her four years at DHS, participating in many extracurricular activities that allowed her to build new relationships with students and teachers, such as French Club, Winter Percussion, and Student Council. Her impressive academic achievements allowed her to become Vice President of the National Honor Society. She also participated in Field Hockey, playing at the varsity level from her freshman year on.

Berkey explored many different kinds of courses at DHS and challenged herself by filling her schedule with many honor and AP classes.

On the news of being honored as the Class of 2019’s Salutatorian, Berkey says that it was not her main goal and focus in high school. “After middle school, I realized that hard work pays off. I really wanted to just keep up with my grades and did not allow myself to fall back. I just tried my best to remain focus.”

Berkey credits her older sister Maya as her biggest inspiration as she “works really hard to be successful.” Another inspiration has been Lady Gaga because she is “extremely confident and does not care about what anyone thinks.”

Being a minority at DHS was something Berkey felt everyday, but says she was lucky to have formed a group of friends who are also minorities. “I think even without that circle of comfort most students at Dedham High are welcoming and I am grateful for that.”

Berkey is confident that DHS has prepared her well for college and the real world. Like many students, Berkey had a multitude teachers due to the vast amount of classes she took, but one that particularly stuck out to her was Mrs. O’Sullivan. “She not only helped me academically, but personally. I was able to ask her a lot of questions about life and school. We really developed a great relationship.” Berkey characterized Mrs. O’Sullivan as a “kind-hearted” person who truly cared about the students she works with, both personally and academically.

When evaluating her growth from freshman to senior year, Berkey believes that she has matured greatly and views herself as a completely different person. “I think when I began the college process of writing my essay really impacted my high school experience the most. I thought, “Wow, this is really happening!”

Her advice to underclassmen: “Don’t focus too much on the little things, spend time focused on the bigger picture and grow from there. If you focus on the smaller things, all you will do is stress yourself out.”