By Seth Daniel
Valedictorian Ashley Salazar (left) stands beside Salutatorian Tracey Flores at Chelsea High School this week. The duo will lead the Class of 2017 into Graduation Exercises on Sunday, June 11, at the high school.
Since their earliest days at the Early Learning Center (ELC) in kindergarten, Ashley Salazar and Tracey Flores have remained closely connected. That connection persisted through their years at Chelsea High School (CHS), where they ultimately captured the two highest honors in their graduating class.
The announcement came on Monday, June 5, when CHS named Salazar as Valedictorian and Flores as Salutatorian for the Class of 2017. Neither student had anticipated receiving such recognition. “I was completely shocked,” said Salazar. “My parents were sobbing.”
At 17 years old, Salazar completed her elementary education at the Kelly School and her middle school years at Wright Middle School before arriving at CHS. She will pursue food sciences this fall at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.
“My sister is a nutritionist at the MGH so I always had that as an influence in my life,” she said. “Growing up in Chelsea, I was always known as a health freak to everyone. I’m the one who checks all the nutrition information labels and tells people we shouldn’t be eating these things. I knew I wanted to do something around food. I also knew I wanted to do something in high school that involved the sciences. I decided I should just combine the two.”
Through the Newton Scholars program during her early high school years, Salazar first encountered Cornell. But her trajectory was shaped most profoundly by instructor Matthew LaBranch, who imparted lessons about living authentically. Though LaBranch teaches desktop publishing at CHS—a subject that held no appeal for her—the character instruction resonated deeply.
“He taught a subject I’m not interested in , but he always preached to us about being your real authentic self. He made me realize that we control our own destinies. I needed to hear that because I’m reserved. When you hear that message in the back of your head it helps you to keep going and take more risks.”
Obligations to care for extended family members at home prevented Salazar, 17, from engaging in extracurricular pursuits.
She worried this limitation might disadvantage her in college admissions, yet when she disclosed her circumstances, institutions did not penalize her for it.
“It all worked out,” she said.
Flores, equally 17, attributed her second-place standing to persistent effort and credits others for bolstering her confidence through the demanding process.
“I was always very quiet and I”m not confident in my intelligence at all,” she said. “Mr. (Wes) Peacock taught me to believe in myself and have confidence…My mom was very proud. She sees me stay up late and doing my homework. I don’t have the natural talent for academics, so I try to work even harder. I put in the time and worked really hard for this.”
This fall, Flores will enroll at Tufts University to study biochemistry, with aspirations toward a medical career. Her siblings both have autism, which meant accompanying them to countless medical appointments throughout her childhood. Her father died two years ago, and subsequently her mother was diagnosed with cancer—an early detection that allowed for successful treatment.
These personal encounters with medicine and healthcare professionals inspired her determination to pursue the medical field.
“I don’t want anyone to have to watch someone die of cancer,” she said. “I wanted to do something with my life that makes a difference for others so that they don’t go through what I went through.”
Teacher Ilana Asher also played an important role in Flores’s development at CHS.
“She’s like my high school mom,” she said. “She helped me with the college application process and my essays. I don’t know where I’d be without her.”
Mock Trial, Girls Track, the ALS Walk, InterAct, National Honor Society, and Girls 101 all benefited from Flores’s participation.
Julio and Giselle Salazar are the parents of Salazar.
Flores is the daughter of Ruth Flores and the late Carlos Flores.