Humble and hardworking are two words that describe Lakeland Regional High School’ 2025 valedictorian, Seamus Burke.
Receiving this title, Burke tells the Ledger he felt unfazed about being chosen to be the valedictorian. In general, titles do not mean much to Burke, but he is looking forward to giving a cool speech. Burke would like to thank God, his parents and all his teachers who helped him get to where he is today.
Throughout his time at LRHS, Burke has been invested in more than just academics. He is a part of the bowling team, the competitive Debate Club, Ultimate Frisbee Club, and the Marine Conservation Club at LRHS.
(Courtesy of Seamus Burke)
Interestingly enough, Burke says that the most challenging part of high school for him was trying to figure out what he wanted to pursue after high school. After a lot of time, he knows what he will be doing in his future – Burke will be going to Rutgers University to study Mechanical Engineering.
Of course, success comes with a few setbacks. One thing that Burke acknowledges is that he had to learn how to efficiently work in groups. He learned that he needed to heavily rely on his peers and trust them with the work at hand, realizing he couldn’t do everything by himself. He added that another setback was that he could not take all the classes he wanted to take.
His biggest motivation throughout his time at LRHS was knowing that focusing on school and learning is one of the best things to prepare for what comes next in his life. His educational goal was to learn and have as much information in his brain as possible. He shares, “I can’t know everything, but it won’t hurt to try.”
Burke’s favorite class at Lakeland was Advanced Placement Environmental Science (APES) because it was fun, and, according to him, some of Lakeland’s most funniest individuals were there. Not only were his classmates a big part of why his APES class was fun, but Mr. Michael Kelly’s lessons were also very engaging.
(Courtesy of Seamus Burke)
Burke said that he really doesn’t have a favorite memory at Lakeland but he’ll never forget the amazing people he’s met during his high school career. He says that he hopes that he has made friendships that last a lifetime.
Burke also would like to share another big accomplishment: winning Class Clown!
Some advice that Burke would like to give to incoming Lancers is “work hard, but stop periodically to make sure you know what you’re doing. Like imagine yourself looking back on your work when it is all over, and wondering what is this all for? And find something that really matters and work tirelessly for it, but alway remember why it matters. Don’t neglect the bigger picture.”
