Building her profile throughout high school, senior Veronica Montalvo has contributed a lot of time to Coral Gables Senior High School. Her involvement in multiple campus activities has led up to her acceptance into the University of Virginia, where she will be majoring in biology. Montalvo joins the first Cavalier seniors that have committed to a college.
Montalvo’s father and older sister both attended Virginia. While she felt no need to follow their legacy, Montalvo knew she wanted to apply to Virginia when she visited the campus a year ago, falling in love with the beautiful scenery and impressive academics that they offered.
In the hope of getting into Virginia, Montalvo applied for early admissions to guarantee her commitment to the university.
“Veronica is one of the hardest working students I have, she is always prepared for work. She is very interactive with class and constantly asking questions, trying as hard as she can to understand the content,” Mr. Nelson said.
Montalvo started her application process in November. In her application, she needed two letters of recommendation, a pair of college supplements and her personal statement. She received her recommendation letters from her psychology teacher, Mr. Nelson, and due to her interest in biology, she asked her biology teacher, Mr. Molina.
“I think definitely your grades make a big part of your application but I also think that the essays are where you can show your personality and the things that you value and I think that especially in your personal statement, it should show who you are as a person and the things that you value,” senior Veronica Montalvo said.
On Dec. 15, Montalvo felt a mix of excitement and nervousness as she opened her email knowing that the results from Virginia would be on her screen in just a few moments. Clicking the message, she immediately screamed with delight. The joyful news of being accepted will send Montalvo to her dream school next fall.
“I was so happy and I’m still so happy. I think just getting into any college is such a good feeling and especially getting into your dream college is really nice,” senior Montalvo said.
Aside from applying to college, Montalvo has spent a considerable time in her athletic endeavors. Running on the varsity cross country team since freshman year, Montalvo has immersed herself into a unique sport with a heavy training load. Despite the arduous days in the summer, she has attended the Florida High School Cross Country Championships two out of her four seasons.
“She has a very charismatic and joyful personality, she easy to get along with and being able to share more years with her in Virginia is the best news. Veronica loves having companions through her work and being able to find that place where she can be herself and also feel supported by others is a big thing in Virginia and I feel like that’s what appeals to both myself and Veronica,” senior Catalina Quinteros said.
Montalvo has also participated in many clubs such as Gables Earth and is currently on the board of the National Honor Society. She serves as the senior secretary, organizing service events for NHS members. On top of all these clubs, Montalvo is head of communications for the International Baccalaureate Executive Council, where she runs their Instagram account.
Apart from her responsibilities at Gables, Montalvo prides herself in her involvement with The Girl Scouts of America. This extracurricular program is nationally recognized and teaches young girls to apply practical skills to their daily lives; she has been a girl scout since the age of six.
Recently, Montalvo earned a Silver Award for Girl Scouts. In order to receive this honorable prize, she had to complete a service project that targeted an issue within the community. Her project involved working to bring food to the homeless. Being in Girls Scouts has taught her valuable lessons and incremented her resumé for college.
How well do you know Veronica Montalvo?
There was an error. Please try again.
6 Total Questions
Clasping to an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics classes, Montalvo will study to hopefully become a pediatrician one day. She wishes to work in that field due to her passion for working with little kids. The college-bound Cavalier quickly realized her love for children and while she considered teaching as a potential option, she decided to strive for a more suiting job that would match her various interests.
Montalvo looks forward to attending Virginia for the next four years, hoping this highly regarded university will help her fulfill her dream and open up new possibilities in the years to come. For now, she enjoys her time studying, exploring and creating new friendships and memories as a Cavalier.
