Savina Rizova '04 of Sofia, Bulgaria, sporting a perfect 4.0 grade point average, has been named valedictorian for the Class of 2004.
This marks the second consecutive year that the valedictorian has hailed from not only the same hometown, but the same high school -- the First English Language School in Sofia, the capital of the Balkan nation of Bulgaria.
The fact that Bulgarians have earned the distinction of valedictorian two years in a row made this year's honor especially meaningful for Rizova, who was friends with last year's valedictorian Lactchezar Benatov '03.
"I was very happy, especially because I am going to be the second consecutive valedictorian from my lovely high school," Rizova said of hearing the news.
"It also feels like a great honor because Dartmouth requires a lot of hard work, persistence and dedication, and there are many smart people around," she added.
Rizova, who will speak as part of Sunday's graduation ceremony, double majored in economics and mathematics, considered to be two of the tougher majors at the College.
Rizova credits her self-discipline and intellectual curiosity for helping her "pull through the difficulties" of balancing friends, a social life, extracurricular activities and, of course, academics.
She said, however, that she never had the goal of becoming valedictorian, or getting straight-As, but only wanted to do the best she could in each of her subjects, be it a major or a distributive class.
Part of that drive to succeed in all her classes perhaps comes from her identity as an international student.
"The fact that they offer admission and usually full financial aid is such a great honor that [international students] feel morally obligated to prove that Dartmouth has not gone wrong by picking us, and that we can indeed contribute to Dartmouth both academically and socially," Rizova said.
She praised the College's international student programs such as the International Student Office, and also Dartmouth's policy toward financial aid for international students.
"I really want to thank Dartmouth for the determination to provide international students with full financial aid in order to enable them to come here and develop their potential," Rizova said.
Rizova has earned six academic citations in mathematics and economics, and in April she received an Undergraduate Research Award from the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences.
Despite her numerous academic achievements, Rizova pointed out that perhaps the thing she will treasure most from Dartmouth is the relationship with her best friend April Mohns '03, who she met on the Madrid FSP. Although Rizova didn't expect to have an American as a best friend, Mohns "proved to [her] that friendships don't know boundaries." Rizova will serve as Mohns' maid of honor this fall. She also has been a member of Alpha Theta coed fraternity since the spring of 2002, and participated in the Parliamentary Debate Club in 2000-2001.
Rizova came to Dartmouth intending to major in economics, and added mathematics when she decided she needed a better quantitative background for a Ph.D. program in finance.
After graduation, Rizova plans to work in the private sector for a few years before going to graduate school to earn a Ph.D. in finance, most likely at the University of Chicago.
This summer she starts at the California-based investment management firm Dimensional Fund Advisor. After receiving her Ph.D., Rizova would like to return to the corporate world, and use part of her compensation to fund a scholarship program to help First English Language graduates study at American universities.
First English Language is the best high school in Bulgaria, according to Rizova. She said that graduates form the political and social elite of the country, just as Dartmouth does for the United States.
Approximately 40 of the 150 attend universities in the United States each year, and the three First English Language graduates that currently attend Dartmouth are doing well, according to Rizova.
Melissa Sheiko '04, an environmental studies major from Billings, Mont., was named salutatorian with a 3.98 grade point average.
Sheiko earned three academic citations, was inducted early into Phi Beta Kappa and served as a teaching assistant in chemistry and a grader in mathematics.
She also was a Rufus Choate scholar, meaning her GPA was among the top 5 percent in her graduating class.
Sheiko was also active in DREAM, where she mentored two young girls. She served in Student Assembly as a class senator in her freshman and sophomore years, and also was active in the Nathan Smith Pre-medical Society, where she shadowed doctors for two terms.
Sheiko plans to work this summer as a cowgirl in Glacier National Park -- she won the Quarter Horse Youth World Championships in 1999 -- and will work in a nursing home and as a ski instructor in the fall and winter, respectively.
She hopes to travel to South America to do volunteer work for the spring and summer of 2005 before entering medical school the following fall.
