Tribal member Priscilla Valencia takes an actionable approach to success
By Wade Sheldon, Tulalip News
Standing in front of an entire school would be intimidating for most adults. For 11-year-old Priscilla Valencia, it meant overcoming one of her biggest fears while sharing a message she believed her classmates needed to hear.
The Allen Creek Elementary fifth grader was recognized as Student of the Year during a June 8 ceremony at the Marysville Civic Center, after a school year marked by leadership, cultural advocacy, and academic achievement. From educating her classmates about Orange Shirt Day to becoming class president and competing at the KidWind World Championships, Priscilla’s efforts earned recognition from both her school and the City of Marysville.
Priscilla was among a group of students honored during the ceremony, which celebrated outstanding student achievement throughout the Marysville School District. During the event, Mayor Jon Nehring spoke about the importance of recognizing student success and highlighting the positive accomplishments in local schools.
For Priscilla, the honor carried special meaning because she grew up watching her older siblings earn recognition for their own achievements. “It means a lot,” she said. “I looked up to my siblings winning awards all their lives, so when I won this one, I was shocked on how far I made it at such a young age.”
The youngest of four children, Priscilla has been inspired by her older brother, Desmond, and sisters, Faith and Ariel, who have all taken active roles in their communities. According to her mother, Rosemary Valencia, Priscilla admired their accomplishments but was equally determined to create her own path.
That opportunity presented itself early in the school year when she began learning more about Orange Shirt Day. Wanting to better understand its significance, Priscilla researched the history behind Orange Shirt Day and learned more about the experiences of Native children who attended residential and boarding schools. As her understanding grew, so did her desire to share that knowledge with others. “It’s a part of my culture, and I want to learn more, so I did a lot of research and I wanted to teach others about it,” she said.
Motivated by what she had learned, Priscilla approached school administrators and advocated for greater awareness of Orange Shirt Day. According to her family, she met with the principal and explained why she felt students should be taught more about its meaning. Her initiative impressed school staff, who invited her to visit classrooms throughout Allen Creek Elementary and speak directly to students about the history behind the day. For Priscilla, the effort was driven by a desire to share knowledge and encourage understanding.
While speaking to an entire school may seem daunting for some, it represented an especially significant achievement for Priscilla. Rosemary said her daughter has worked hard to overcome a speech impediment and has long struggled with public speaking. Despite those challenges, she stepped in front of classrooms full of students and shared what she had learned. When asked if she was nervous, Priscilla admitted she was. “It was surprising how I talked to the whole school about it,” she said. For Rosemary, that moment represented a breakthrough. “Public speaking has been such a fear,” she said. “She’s so smart. She just needed to discover her voice.”
The confidence she gained through that experience carried into other areas of school life. Later in the year, Priscilla decided to run for fifth-grade class president. Her campaign nearly came to an abrupt stop when she became sick on election day and was unable to attend school, deliver her speech, campaign in person, or even cast her own vote. One of her classmates stepped forward and read her speech on her behalf. And when the votes were counted, Priscilla was elected class president, becoming the first Native American student to hold the position at Allen Creek Elementary, according to her family.
Asked what inspired her to run, Priscilla said she wanted to create representation for Native students at her school. “So I could be the first Native president,” she said. For Priscilla, leadership means helping others and doing the right thing, qualities she believes are important both in and out of the classroom.
Outside the classroom, Priscilla continued challenging herself through extracurricular activities. She participated in Safety Patrol and joined KidWind, a club focused on renewable energy and engineering. Working alongside her teammates, she helped design and build a solar-powered wind turbine that earned first place at a regional competition, advancing them to the KidWind World Championships in Madison, Wisconsin.
The trip brought a series of unexpected obstacles. Shortly after arriving, the team found themselves taking shelter during a tornado warning. They later discovered important project materials had been accidentally left behind, forcing them to rebuild portions of their project and presentation before competing against teams from around the world. Although they did not return home with a championship, the experience deepened Priscilla’s interest in science and engineering. Science and math are already her favorite subjects, and participating in KidWind helped confirm her hopes for the future. Priscilla said she wants to become an engineer, specifically working with renewable energy such as “solar power or windmills.”
Looking back on the school year, Priscilla said the accomplishments she is most proud of are the ones that allowed her to make a difference in her school community. “Winning Student of the Year and then winning Student Council President, and basically getting the school to do Orange Shirt Day,” she said.
For Rosemary, the recognition represents far more than awards or titles. It reflects the growth she witnessed in her daughter over the past year, as she gained confidence, faced challenges, and learned to trust herself. After watching Priscilla overcome her fear of public speaking, educate students about Orange Shirt Day, step into leadership roles at school, and compete on a world stage, Rosemary believes the biggest accomplishment wasn’t winning awards or being elected class president. It was discovering the confidence to speak up and be heard.
Rosemary said, “I feel like this year she discovered her voice.”