Four years ago when she was an eighth-grade student at Crispell Middle School, Jovan Palinkas received the award for the highest consecutive average over the previous three years.

“As soon as I received that award, I liked it. I liked knowing I could do it,” said Jovan. “That motivated me to keep working hard.”

Jovan’s hard work has earned her another honor – valedictorian of the Pine Bush High School Class of 2021.

“I am proud of this honor but I didn’t expect it,” said Jovan, who admits she holds herself to a high standard.

Like most of her classmates, Jovan has missed out on many of the expected highlights of her senior year. However, she has a positive take on much of that.

“It’s easy to pity us for missing out on all the rights of passage,” she said. “Instead, it gave me a greater appreciation of being with people. Being social is a big aspect of school. I get bored without the social aspect but not in terms of work.”

That’s because Jovan is a self-starter and very disciplined.

“My parents never looked over my shoulder. They trusted me to do it myself,” she said. “I appreciate the independence they gave to me.”

In addition to her parents, Christopher and Julie, Jovan’s family consists of her younger sister, Meryl, who is a sophomore at Pine Bush High School.

When she is not in school, Jovan works a part-time job and is also a competitive cheerleader. It was in her travels to her cheer competitions that Jovan became interested in forensic science.

“On the long drives, my mom would always listen to forensic files podcasts and I started to listen too,” she said.

That sparked her interest in forensics. In the fall, Jovan will attend Pace University in New York City and will major in forensic science. She hopes to someday work for a government agency and work on high profile cases.

“Science is a favorite subject but not what I’m best at,” Jovan said. “It challenges me and that’s what I like about it.”

She has been up for a challenge for a long time. She credits Jessica Herb, her fifth grade teacher at Pine Bush Elementary, with making challenges fun.

“Miss Herb went out of her way to challenge me,” said Jovan. “She really made me interested. She showed me what I was capable of – solving problems independently. She sparked an interest for learning in me that has followed me throughout my years here in Pine Bush.”

Congratulations to Jovan as she takes her thirst for knowledge and challenges and moves on to Pace.