Первая в округе ученица получила диплом AP Capstone за выдающиеся академические достижения

EDUCATION VHS valedictorian Madison Villella first to earn AP capstone diploma Valencia High School senior Madison Villella knows all about rigorous academics — and her fair share of late-night study sessions. Villella didn’t just celebrate the end of high school in May. She also celebrated a historic achievement, becoming the first student in Valencia County to earn a prestigious AP Capstone Diploma. The accomplishment is no small feat. To qualify for the honor, Villella, who lives in Belen and graduated as VHS’ valedictorian for the Class of 2026, had to pass six Advanced Placement exams, including the required AP Seminar and AP Research. “It’s kind of my goal since the beginning of sophomore year, when I found out about it,” Villella said enthusiastically. “I was taking AP seminar at the time and to get this award, you have to pass the AP exams with a three or higher. “You have to do AP seminar, AP research and four additional AP exams. So, I earned it last year at the end of my junior year after I took all the exams.” By the end of her junior year, Villella had completed the full roster, having taken a total of 10 AP exams throughout her high school career. Her courseload read like a college curriculum: AP World History, AP European History, AP US History, AP Pre-Calculus, AP Environmental Science, AP Language and Composition and AP Physics. While she said the workload was “intimidating,” especially during her sophomore year, Villella found the challenging coursework prepared her well. “Taking the first C my sophomore year really prepped me for all of the ones I took junior year,” she related. The centerpiece of her achievement, the AP Research project, saw Villella diving deep into complex medical science. She investigated the “impact of psychiatric and physical comorbidities on the impact of life expectancy,” a topic that bridged the gap between mental and physical health. “I found how the brain, like, if you have schizophrenia or something, like, how that could possibly lead to you being more exposed to having a physical illness, such as, diabetes or something like that,” Villella explained. “I really thought that was interesting.” This fascination with the connection between the brain and the body is more than just an academic interest; it’s a career path. Villella credits the experience her family went through when her younger brother got seriously ill, saying that ordeal sparked her initial interest in medicine. “Growing up in that realm really inspired me to go into the medical field,” she said, recalling how she would play doctor as a child. “That interest just stayed like I would, I would get all the medical books and read them. That interest just stayed with me.” This fall, Villella will take that passion to Seton Hall University in New Jersey, where she plans to major in cognitive and behavioral neuroscience. Her choice of school was strategic: the university boasts an impressive 98 percent acceptance rate for graduates applying to medical school — a statistic that aligns perfectly with her goal of becoming a physician. “It’s a Catholic college. So that really appealed to me,” she explained. “They also have a high rating with their medical school students. And they have a 98 percent acceptance rate for all their graduates that applied to medical school.” As she looks toward the future, Villella said she remains open to blending her dual interests in research and practical medicine. Whether she lands in a lab or a clinical setting, her accomplishments up to now seem to point to more success for her. “If I’d be able to do both, that would be amazing,” she said enthusiastically.