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Valley HS valedictorian heading to Harvard

Posted at 6:50 PM, May 23, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-23 22:05:52-04

Getting into an Ivy League school is a huge accomplishment but getting into three is almost unbelievable. 

One San Tan Valley student did just that. ABC15 sat down with the valedictorian from Combs High School ahead of Tuesday’s graduation.

Shock, excitement, relief, there were all sorts of emotions for Cydnee Colpaert when she learned she got into Harvard, Yale, University of Virginia, Rice, Vanderbilt and Dartmouth. Her father never finished high school and her mother did not finish her Associate’s Degree, but Colpaert always knew they wanted more for her.

“They’ve always felt like they could’ve done something more if they would’ve gotten more education,” she said.

Colpaert is the valedictorian, earning A’s in every single class for four years, and she definitely did not spend all her days buried in books.

“A few close calls, I’ll be honest,” she said. “I play three sports, so court volleyball, sand volleyball and basketball.”

Colpaert’s drive is sending her to Harvard where she plans to study Neurobiology and eventually work with autistic children, or even patients with schizophrenia. She’s also looking forward to the social life on campus.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t date, I’m valedictorian," she said. "I’m so excited!”

She has this to say to other aspiring students.

“It doesn’t matter where you came from, it just matters what you’ve done or what you’ve accomplished,” Colpaert said.