Aleksei Maldonado always stays busy, especially with his job as a cashier at a grocery store.
The 17-year-old senior said the flexibility he has through the Sahuarita Unified School District’s online program really worked for him in his final year of school.
“There were multiple meetings every morning, a mandatory home room, and from there you have the whole day for school work,” he said. “It was really flexible, which is why I liked it. I work a lot while doing school and that really helped me with my schoolwork.”
Maldonado is Sahuarita Digital Pathways Academy’s 2023 valedictorian, and the second named in the program's history. The academy started in 2020 during the pandemic and continues to be an option for students.
For him, it was a big surprise to get the news Monday of his accomplishment.
“I think it's pretty cool, and I was really not expecting it,” he said. “I just found out today and was like, ‘What?’”
Maldonado, who has around a 3.4 GPA, said the key to being successful with a digital program is discipline and focus.
“You have to put in a lot of time and studying and homework on your own,” he said. “The teachers aren't always there but they were really helpful when I needed them.”
While a lot of his time goes into his cashier job, Maldonado also said he loves going to the gym, playing basketball and hanging out at the parks in his free time.
As graduation approaches, he’s relieved to get the final tasks of high school completed.
“It was exciting passing all my finals, which was just last week, and hearing I finally graduated,” he said. “The thing I will remember most about high school is probably all the people I met and the teachers were nice.”
Maldonado dreams of getting his real estate license when he turns 18, and said he plans on taking a semester off and then attending Pima Community College.
“My dad builds houses, he's a contractor,” he said. “So, I want to get into real estate because I can help him and we’d get to work together.”
“My parents always tell me to make sure I'm doing well in school and that they believe in me.”
Maldonado said, above all, high school taught him to never give up.
“I learned just to keep going at your goals,” he said. “Never give up. Even if you get a bad test score or you don't get the promotion you want, you have to keep going.”
And, to the seniors coming in next year after him, he said focus and enjoy your time.
“Just don’t think it's a free year,” he said. “You should have fun in your last year, but put in the work to make sure you get that GPA and finish with good grades.”
Maldonado won’t be attending the in-person graduation, but seniors in SDPA can participate in their school of residency’s graduation.
Reporter Jamie Verwys grew up in Sahuarita and graduated from the high school in 2006. She lives in Tucson and graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2018.
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