Ahead of starting her studies this fall in biology at the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania, senior Emily Frey will speak as Sedona Red Rock High School’s valedictorian when she and more than 70 classmates graduate Wednesday, May 21.
“I’ve always wanted to do my best, whether it was in sports or academics,” Frey said. “I mainly wanted to take as many [Advanced Placement] classes as possible and challenge myself in my classes. So it was just a combination of different factors, of me trying to succeed and get college credits with AP classes and take the hardest classes possible.”
Frey became the first student in SRRHS history to earn an Advanced Placement Capstone Diploma, which she completed during her junior year. In addition to being fluent in German, she took 10 AP courses and also earned two College Board Distinction Awards. For her AP Research course, she studied ChatGPT’s writing accuracy, and her AP Seminar projects focused on fentanyl use and China’s former one-child policy. She said the latter subject had been inspired by her adopted sister.
Frey is the youngest of five children, with older sisters Sarah, Katie and Jenna, and a brother, Sam.
“Part of why I respect Emily [is] because we had rules that freshmen couldn’t take certain classes, and AP classes were some of them, and she just wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Director of Curriculum and Instruction Karyl Goldsmith said of Frey’s taking AP World History and AP Human Geography as a freshman, in both of which she received a “5,” the highest possible grade. “Her tenacity is part of what makes her so special.”
“Emily has this brilliant mind and she has this huge heart … and it’s been so cool getting to know you this year,” Superintendent Tom Swaninger, Ph.D., said during the March Sedona-Oak Creek School District Governing Board meeting. “We give each other a hard time … and Emily has shared that she might want to be a dentist one day, and I have this issue where I brush my teeth all the time and she was very concerned with my gums receding. For the record, I just had a dental appointment, and I got a top notch report from my dentist … so Emily, you don’t have to worry about me.”
Frey said that she decided to study biology in preparation for dental school after shadowing Dr. Daniel Williams at Sedona Dental Arts, an experience she found inspiring.
Frey served as the Student Council president during her final year as well as being involved in student leadership programs for the past four years. She helped start the school’s robotics team, which advanced to the state finals in its second year. Frey completed an internship with Dr. Timothy Becker at the Northern Arizona University Bioengineering Devices Lab in 2023 and has volunteered with the Sedona Community Food Bank and Pets Return Home, a dog rehabilitation organization in Clarkdale. She also coached the district’s middle school volleyball team for the 2024 season after captaining the Vertical Thunder Volleyball Club Team in Cottonwood from 2021 to 2024, as well as previously swimming, playing soccer and running track.
Frey has been serving as the student representative to the SOCSD Governing Board since March 2023; her successor will be selected from three applicants during the Tuesday, May 13 school board meeting.
“I’ve learned so much from the board meetings, stuff you’d never hear as a student, like finances and policy,” Frey said. “Plus, it’s great seeing [Governing Board member Lauren Robinson] who’s been supportive since she was my swim coach … It’s important to have a student representative because they’re making policies and decisions, but they’re not always at the school, so they don’t always see what students are actually doing. I usually share updates about clubs and classes, and I think it’s important for them to hear about the real work students are doing. It helps connect their decisions to what’s happening on a smaller, day-to-day scale.”
“I’ve known Emily since, I think, you were 7 or 8. She was a swimmer, she didn’t love [competitive swimming] but we loved her,” Robinson said. “She was so encouraging to everyone else, and was always smiling, even when I was pushing her … And to watch her grow up and become this beautiful young woman. She’s intelligent, but the most engaging thing about her is her smile and her personality, and she’s going to be very special.”
Frey said she was excited about living in a big city and that she had been watching a lot of videos on Philadelphia attractions in preparation, as well as attending on-campus events. Until then, she plans to work as a lifeguard at the Sedona Community Pool before leaving in mid-August.
Frey’s family moved to Sedona from New Jersey around 2015 and she said she felt both excitement and fear about leaving.
“But my brother [Sam] lives in Philadelphia, so I’m excited I can visit him,” Frey said. “I’ve known most of the people at [SRRHS] since elementary school, so I’m excited I’m able to restart, and just be whoever I want to be, and get to know so many new people and teachers, and it’s a whole different world.”
