Valedictorian Hallie Wikfors has had an impressive presence throughout Pascack Hills with her participation in the academics, athletics, and extracurriculars available at school. Not only was she a member of the district’s gymnastics team for four years, but she was also a key executive member of a service club, Camp Raspberry. Hallie was an avid volunteer at Valley Hospital, a member of NHS, and a member of the Spanish National Honors Society. For Wikfors, she spent her high school years challenging herself and trying new things to find her passions, rather than aiming to be valedictorian. 

“I always worked hard and took challenging courses throughout my four years, but it wasn’t to become the valedictorian. It was always a goal of mine, but it wasn’t the biggest motivation. I genuinely love learning more about certain topics, especially in STEM classes, and being named the valedictorian, for me, was an added bonus to confirm that all my hard work and sacrifices paid off in the end. I am proud to be able to represent my class in this way and cannot wait to speak at graduation (hopefully in person),” spoke Hallie.

Wikfors’ work ethic has not gone unnoticed. To her peers, friends, and teachers, Hallie’s hardworking personality and optimistic outlook have set her apart from other students.

“I will always remember Hallie for being smiling and pleasant and genuinely happy. Behind that calm, smiling exterior, she is a ferocious worker.  You can see that by her academic and athletic accomplishments and her unwavering pursuit of mastery. She reminds me of that saying about the duck: composed and unruffled above the surface, but paddling like the dickens underneath.  Add in that she’s a natural leader who really cares about people –– and you’ve got Hallie,” commented Kevin Killian, Wikfors’ Honors Precalculus teacher at Hills.

To her friends, the news that Hallie would be valedictorian for their grade did not come as a surprise, as she had always been so determined and hardworking throughout high school. Jolie Newman, a friend of Hallie, expressed how happy she was when she received the confirmation that Hallie would be valedictorian.

“I was so glad when I received the text that she was valedictorian; while we all knew it was coming, it was so relieving that it was official. Hallie is so smart, hardworking, and an incredible friend. She always has a positive attitude, and she’s so much fun to be around,” Newman said.

Jadyn Sullivan, also a friend of Hallie’s, shared similar thoughts as Jolie over email, stating that “I was not surprised when Hallie texted me that she was the valedictorian because she has and always will be the smartest human I have ever known. She 100% deserves it because she is one of the hardest working people. She is constantly studying and working hard, all while maintaining a social life, and putting in many many hours in a week at her gymnastics facility. Hallie is always so willing to help others, no matter how busy she is, and makes sure to take the time out of her day to check up on people. Ever since we were younger, Hallie would always be doing some type of school work (even over the summer). Her dedication, passion, and drive to achieve her goals make others strive to be better.”

Kaia Paulsen, who worked alongside Wikfors in Camp Raspberry, reflected on the dedication and effort she put in to make sure that things were planned accordingly and everything would run smoothly. 

“I want to emphasize how dedicated she was to each aspect of her life. In school, she always worked diligently without complaining, with her friends, she was always there for everyone, in clubs that we did together like Camp Raspberry, she was always on top of everything. I’m so proud of her! She has worked so hard for all of high school, never complaining about her workload or anything. Even though she works so hard in all of her classes, she’s always there to help her friends with their classes and their personal struggles. No one deserves to be valedictorian more than her,” added Paulsen.

Wikfors will be continuing her education at Washington University St. Louis in the fall with a double major in Biology and Spanish on a Pre-Med track. “My dream is to become some type of pediatric surgeon in the future, so this is the next step in continuing my education,” she explained.

For future or current Hills students, Wikfors’ advice is simple: “Join as many clubs and activities that you are interested in freshman year to decide what you are most passionate about. For me, I love community service, so my first year I signed up for most of the service clubs Hills has to offer. I realized that the one I could make the most impact in was Camp Raspberry, so I decided to stick with that for all four years and allocate most of my time there. I met so many new people in other grades and from Valley and made some incredible memories. Overall, I would say to try out different things until you find a club, sport, class, et cetera that really makes you happy.”

The Pascack Hills community is inspired by the hard work and dedication that Valedictorian Hallie Wikfors showed throughout her four years at school.