Spotlight on: Maggie Bray
Class of 2026 Valedictorian
Herkimer Central School District recently announced the Class of 2026 valedictorian as Johnny Xiao and the salutatorian as Maggie Bray.
Bray said being named salutatorian was meaningful to her.
“It just makes me happy to know all the hard work I put into high school was worth it,” she said.
Both students took a demanding course load and participated in various extracurricular activities on the way to their academic accomplishment. Xiao, Bray and their classmates will graduate from Herkimer Central School District on Friday, June 26.
Bray is the daughter of Christopher Bray of Herkimer and Jacqueline Bray of Ilion. She will graduate with 30.5 high school credits, 27 college credits through the College Now program with Herkimer college and two Advanced Placement (AP) classes. She will receive a Regents Diploma with Advanced Distinction with a Seal of Biliteracy.
Bray said finishing in one of the top two academic spots for her class was a goal for her.
“I’ve always been expecting to get good grades, and I was like, ‘Well, if I’m already trying to get good grades, I might as well try to be [valedictorian or salutatorian].”
Bray discussed one of the things that helped her find academic success.
“I didn’t skip out on work – I just did what I had to do, and once that was done, I could do whatever I wanted,” she said.
For extracurricular activities, Bray’s participation included president of National Honor Society, cheer captain for varsity cheerleading, All Star Cheer in Syracuse and the musical for two years earlier in high school.
Additionally, Bray works three jobs. She has had one of the jobs for years, picked up a second one over the summer and added a third one in February 2026.
Balancing all of it could be a challenge at times, Bray said.
“It was hard, but I balanced my time well, and I got most of my [school] work done in school, which was beneficial,” she said.
Bray will be going to go to college at Georgia Southern University for biomedical sciences. Her plan is to earn a doctorate of medicine degree and become a child and adolescent psychiatrist.
“I just want to help kids deal with what they’re doing – and psychiatrists, they can prescribe medication, and it also makes a lot of money,” she said.
Bray said Herkimer Central School District prepared her well for her next steps.
“They offer a lot of cool classes that give you experiences and insights into new things, and they also have a program where you can volunteer at places where you can see people doing the job that you might want to go into,” she said, referencing the Advanced Career Immersion Experience (ACIE) internship program she participated in this school year through the Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES School to Careers program.
As Bray thinks about her salutatorian speech for graduation, she trying to get her ideas completely set before she starts formally writing it, so she can know for sure what she wants to say.
Reflecting on her academic journey, Bray offered advice to younger students entering high school.
“Just get all of your work done and utilize the time in class that your teachers give you – like the downtime – and don’t goof off,” she said.