President John F. Kennedy once said, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” Alumna Alyssa Sherry would agree. From her leadership roles at Wayne Valley to her academic journey at Brown, Alyssa Sherry’s achievements have been nothing short of inspiring. All of her accomplishments so far have shown her dedication and passion for both her academics and future career. Her once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and experiences have positively shaped her outlook on life and the world around her. Alyssa Sherry is an extremely hard working person; she graduated as the Valedictorian of Wayne Valley High School’s 2022 class. Her love for psychology and public health developed during her high school years where she was very active in the school community.
During her time at Valley, Sherry was involved in many extracurricular activities, but one holds a special place in her heart. “Field hockey in particular was everything to me,” she shared. As the captain of the Wayne Valley Field Hockey team both her junior and senior seasons, the sport was a huge part of her high school experience. “It completely defined my time in high school, giving me an incredible amount of purpose and joy. I loved my teammates and I adore the sport,” she said. In addition to field hockey, she was the Executive Student Council President and on the Peer Leaders E-Board. Alongside these, Sherry showcased her talent for writing as the editor of Smoke Signals. Outside of school, she interned at a writing program called The Writers Circle, and at a program called Finding the Fabulous, which she states taught “leadership skills, self-advocacy, and the importance of community service to young girls.”
On top of this, Sherry took many challenging classes throughout high school to better understand the basics of her future career in public health. “I specifically think that AP U.S. History and AP U.S. Government & Politics with Mrs. Vacca and Mr. Carroll had the greatest impact on who I have become. Mrs. Ahlert also empowered me to feel like I could make a positive difference in the healthcare domain when I took AP Biology,” she shared.
These years of her life taught her that high school is not just about academics, but it’s an important time to figure out what kind of person you want to be. Sherry shares, “It’s easy to look back on my time at Valley and criticize my past self for how I navigated certain situations and handled my priorities, but then I remember that my past self would be really proud of the person I have grown into–and how much I’ve changed since I was sixteen.” Even though there are some things that she wishes she could have done differently, like being more present in the moment, this time in Sherry’s life has shaped her into the person she is today. The lessons she has learned, such as balancing lots of commitments and taking on tough challenges have helped develop her amazing work ethic and resilience.
All of the hard work she put into high school paid off, as she continued her education journey at Brown University, an Ivy League school. Sherry is currently in her junior year at Brown and she continues to excel. Studying a double major in psychology and public health, she comments, “I hope to go into a career that allows me to make change on both the individual and community level. Specifically, I want to work with members of vulnerable populations, specifically unhoused LGBTQ+ adolescents who have experienced trauma, both through individual counseling and community-level initiatives addressing the social determinants of health.” Sherry continued her love for field hockey throughout college by joining the Brown Club Field Hockey team and even becoming captain.
During her time at Brown, she also spent a semester abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark; she describes this experience as life changing. While abroad, Sherry was lucky enough to travel a lot, helping her gain new perspectives. She explains, “When you’re twenty-one years old and studying abroad, you rediscover all of these big truths about life that we first learned as little kids, but these lessons now take on a whole new meaning–things like ‘the world is so big’ and ‘I can do anything I put my mind to.’ Even though these sound like total cliches, in Copenhagen, I got to really live these messages instead of just viewing them in the abstract. Living in Copenhagen broadened my perspective vastly, allowing me to uncover new passions and new pathways for making change.” Sherry owes her time in Copenhagen for giving her a much more profound sense of self-sufficiency, and she encourages anyone who is able to experience this to not pass up the opportunity.
Alyssa Sherry’s academic journey and accomplishments show the importance of hard work and following your passions. She shares this piece of advice, “Do what you love and don’t drive yourself crazy.” Looking back, Sherry remembers herself being caught up in taking many AP classes and joining many extracurriculars because she thought that is what she should be doing in order to reach her goals. Now, she realizes that universities like Brown want to see people getting involved in things they truly love. Sherry’s wisdom and dedication at such a young age show that she has much more to offer in the future and that the best is yet to come.
