Nancy Uvalle is a girl boss in the making. Armed with a memorable laugh, the Holton student is contemplating entrepreneurship, the military, or an elementary teaching career while she finishes her high school studies. In other words, she’s claimed her success.

“One success is graduating. I say this because Holton was my fourth school during high school, so one challenge has been adapting to different environments,” she said.

She says her biggest accomplishment is being the first girl out of four to graduate from high school and have a plan after high school. She started at Northern High School then went to Hillsborough to study at Cedar Ridge. She then returned to Durham Public Schools to attend Riverside and then to Holton, “which I fell in love with because the atmosphere there was so welcoming and helpful to keep working hard. It was and it is a pleasure to have studied at Holton and in all the other schools. I've met wonderful teachers that have made me laugh and for those who know my laugh, it's one loud laugh! 

“Nancy arrived at PLC in the fall determined to be academically successful, and she met and exceeded that goal. She has been a wonderful student and classmate since becoming a Phoenix. She is graduating a semester early due to her work ethic and determination to learn and succeed. She contributed to her classes and our school culture with her positive attitude and friendly demeanor,” said Principal Kesha Futrell.

My family and my best friend Jasmin motivate me to not give up and think outside the box. One person that has impacted my life is definitely my big sister Linda. She is someone who has pushed me when life itself is just not making sense,” Nancy said.