SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis senior Brynne Burrows will have a special view of St. Francis graduation on Thursday at the Memorial Auditorium. She will be on stage as the school's 2019 Valedictorian speaker. It is an honor bestowed on her for her outstanding representation of the school based on her diverse experience as a Troubadour.
"I am really excited about the view I get (for graduation) standing up on that stage," said Burrows. "It is a huge honor. I am really excited to thank my classmates, teachers and the families in attendance."
Burrows was chosen from a talented group of classmates. She will address the administration, staff and faculty along with the students, families and friends Thursday afternoon.
"It is a very big honor and I am blessed to represent my classmates as we say our final farewell to St. Francis," said Burrows. "It is really wraps up all of the hard work and experiences that I have gone through."
Burrows has been a Retreat Team Leader, two-time Service Trip volunteer, Kairos Director, Ambassador Leadership Board member, and a Sports Medicine Intern. She is Co-President of Life Skills Club and involved in the Medicine and More Club. She also served as the President of the National Honor Society. She also played two seasons in the basketball program and has been part of Capital Crew the last two years.
It is a resume that was capped off with the Pax et Bonum Award last week. The award is offered to a senior who best exemplifies the qualities of peace and goodness through her faith, excellence, leadership and service and is the highest honor for a student at SF.
"Brynne Burrows is an amazing young woman who brings joy to all she does because of her deep faith and her desire to share her time and talents with her community," said St. Francis President Theresa Rodgers. "If there is a student that could embody the heart and soul of St. Francis Catholic High School, it is Brynne. She inspires those around her to be the best they can be, just by being her own authentic self."
Burrows is a deserving choice as Valedictorian. The selection process helped her relive her St. Francis experience.
"Writing the application for me was a chance to go through those memories," said Burrows. "Some of the fun stories came back."
Burrows plans to thank her classmates, their parents and families for helping with the process.
"I am excited most to thank them for being with me throughout this whole journey," said Burrows. "Our class would not be the same without each person in that room. St. Francis is so rigorous it takes a village to get through the hard and stressful times."
Burrows began her extracurricular experiences with time on the freshman basketball team under current varsity coach Heather Volek Brownholtz.
"I most enjoyed the people I got to be around every day," said Burrows. "My best friends from basketball are still my best friends. The freshman and JV teams are competitive but you also goof around sometimes. I learned how to work hard as a team with a collective effort while having fun and building some great relationships."
She transitioned to the sport of rowing for her final two seasons, looking for a new challenge.
"I felt the passion going away," said Burrows of her time on the court. "It was a hard decision at first because my dad played college basketball and that is how we bonded for such a long time. He was my coach when I was younger. It was tough telling him I was not going to continue playing basketball."
But Burrows was drawn to the dedication needed to succeed in her new sport.
"I met some really amazing people (in the sport) and the coaches are so dedicated to teaching you to work hard," said Burrows of her time with Capital Crew. "It requires so much mental toughness and grit. I learned so much through that process with rowing. There is not an option except to get through the hard work. It has carried over to school and I will take that with me."
She has served as a Retreat Leader during her senior year, a passion that was developed through her own retreat experiences.
"Retreats are a huge gift for me," said Burrows. "Coming to St. Francis it was not something on my radar. I had amazing leaders on my retreats and it inspired me. I had such a great experience, I wanted to give that to other people and hopefully inspire them to keep the cycle going."
Burrows said retreats are one of many unique aspects of the student experience at St. Francis.
"No other high school gets the experience we get," said Burrows. "I wanted to take advantage of it. The retreats taught me how to step back and be able to have prayer and reflection. I can have those morals and values in anything I do. How we strongly hold our Catholic education in the classroom has helped create who I am."
Burrows was also able to spend two weeks over the last two summers on service trips, attending both the Winnebago (Neb.) and Chicago Service trips.
"It was one of the best weeks ever," said Burrows of her week with young Neighbors in Action in the Windy City. "I think having such an eye-opening experience before I went into my last year of high school was perfect timing for me."
She credits them with helping her growth during her high school.
"Both of my service trips were very grounding and humbling for me," recalled Burrows. "It is an important experience for everyone to have in their life. Getting them from my St. Francis experience, shaped who I am and how important I hold service. Seeing the injustices of the world first hand is the only way you are going to learn about them and want to change."
Burrows completed her senior year with an internship in the Athletic Department with Assistant Athletic Director Kelly Ketcham in Sports Medicine.
"Doing the internship and taking Anatomy at the same time basically solidified I want to work with helping people injured or hurting and help them feel better so their bodies can perform at their most efficient," said Burrows.
What's next for this talented Troubie? She will be attending UCLA after initialing considering 9-10 schools. She plans to study human biology and society with a minor in Spanish. After her internship with Ms. Ketcham, she is very interested in getting involved in sports medicine.
No matter what she does, she will continue to shine brightly as a Bruin as she did as a Troubie.
Brynne is the fifth consecutive Valedictorian connected to Athletics.
2017 Kayla Wehner, Water Polo/Swimming
2018 Grace Conlin, Swimming
2019 Brynne Burrows, Basketball/Sports Medicine
