Carey’s top two grads credit their friendship

Posted
H. Frank Carey salutatorian Samantha Raggio, left, and valedictorian Serena Viti have motivated and pushed each other to succeed since sixth grade.
H. Frank Carey salutatorian Samantha Raggio, left, and valedictorian Serena Viti have motivated and pushed each other to succeed since sixth grade.
Steve Smirti/Herald

When Serena Viti, Carey High School’s 2016 valedictorian, met Samantha Raggio, the class’s salutatorian, in a joint elementary school program in sixth grade, the two did not get along. Too similar in personality and school goals, Serena and Samantha initially believed they would never find common ground. Fast-forward six years, however, and the school’s top two students not only are best friends, but plan to spend the next four years in the same city.

Viti plans to study communications and media at the Catholic University of America, and Raggio will immerse herself in international relations at American University, both in Washington, D.C.

“We had a rocky start,” Viti recalled with a laugh. “We didn’t like each other at first.”

“When we were younger, we were too immature to realize how similar we were,” Raggio added, “so we butted heads.”

The two pushed each other all the way through their high school careers, and coming into their junior year, they were eager and happy to be competing for the top spot in the class. Viti finished 11th grade with a grade point average of 103.41, topping Raggio by just 1.02 points.

“When I met [Serena] in the eighth grade, I was looking at her grades and I was like, ‘If you keep this up, kiddo, you’re going to be valedictorian someday,’” said Bethann Lestrange, Viti’s guidance counselor. “It sounded great on paper at that point, and she had starry eyes, and she was like, ‘Yeah, great.’”

The bond that the girls have formed has made both of them better students, they say. Raggio cited the impact that Viti has had on her throughout high school as a main factor for her success. “I learned a lot from Serena,” Raggio said. “We help each other out a lot, and we’ve been able to push each other to work harder throughout high school and have been able to help each other with classes.”

With much of their educational careers still to come, both girls say they realize the importance that their friendship will have on their future. A peer who motivates and pushes you to achieve success is someone who should be cherished, Viti said. She believes that she will continue to lean on Raggio throughout their college years and, she hopes, beyond.

“It’s something so rare that you find somebody who’s as competitive and as motivated as you are who sincerely and genuinely wants the best for you and cares for you not only academically, but in your personal life too,” Viti said. “We know each other so well. We’ve had instances where that pressure has really overcome us … we were that person who said, ‘Don’t worry, you’re more than a number on the top of a page. You’re this beautiful person who’s dedicated to making the world a better place.’”

By the end of their junior year, it was clear to Viti that she and Raggio were the top two students in their class. Raggio, however, wasn’t so certain. Describing herself as a pessimist and not wanting to assume anything, Raggio wouldn’t celebrate her achievement until the official announcement came from Carey High Principal Valerie Angelillo.

“Sam tends to underestimate her accomplishments,” said Julie Elena, Raggio’s guidance counselor. “She had this feeling of it’s probably not, it’s probably not, and I knew … But it was a very happy day when it was able to be announced.”

The legacy of friendship and success that the two top seniors have left on the Carey community has been immense, Elena said. She is hopeful that top-notch academic achievement will continue, and that Viti and Raggio will remain as close and as committed to furthering their education in Washington as they were in high school.

“We’re just very proud of them and can’t wait to see what they accomplish,” Elena said. “I think they’re going to continue to motivate each other, even though they’re at different schools.”