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Opp High School’s valedictorian and salutatorian for the Class of 2025 are Caroline Meyerhoff and Ada Blackstock, respectively.

Both graduates were grateful to represent their senior class with these academic honors.

“Being able to represent the Class of 2025 is a humble honor. I did not think I was going to be able to represent them in this way, but I am grateful and blessed to do so. I hope to continue to represent them in my adult life,” Meyerhoff said.

“This is truly an honor. I know that my class of bright and hard-working students, so this title is something I do not take lightly. I think the biggest honor is understanding that all of my hard work has paid off, and now I get the privilege of being named salutatorian for the Opp High School Class of 2025,” Blackstock said.

Meyerhoff plans to attend the University of Alabama in the fall to major in History and Anthropology and minor in Arabic and French.

“I chose this field because history is my passion. I remember watching documentaries with my dad and also being fascinated by the world. History is so important because we are able to look at the mistakes mankind made and to progress. I am excited to be a part of that,” she said.

Blackstock plans to attend Auburn University in the fall to major in Biomedical Sciences with a track to Pre-Med.

“My motivation for choosing this field was watching my own family struggle with finding specialized health care providers that were within reasonable distance from our home. I want to be able to provide for the people of Alabama who are in need of specialized medical attention, especially in rural areas. I just feel like I am called to use my knowledge to help and care for others,” she said.

Both Meyerhoff and Blackstock agreed that being around their peers and making friendships were the two most enjoyable parts of their time at OHS.

“The most enjoyable part of being a student at Opp High School was making some of my lifelong friends. I moved around a lot, so I never stayed friends with the kids I met. Being able to make best friends enabled me to make memories that are so dear to me,” Meyerhoff said.

“Opp High School is a place where you grow up with the people around you. We are not a very big high school, so all of us are pretty close with each other. This made it easy to get together and enjoy school events like sports games, dances, and even just our classes,” Blackstock said.

While Meyerhoff and Blackstock are ready to close this chapter of their lives, they reflected on the times they had that will carry them beyond graduation.

“I will miss the familiarity of knowing who your teachers are and growing up with the same group of kids. Although I moved here at the end of fourth grade, I consider myself a part of this group. These students were a constant to me, and I will deeply miss that,” Meyerhoff said.

“I will definitely miss the feeling of being at a familiar place that is a part of my home. Opp High School has been where I have spent most of my time for the last four years. It is definitely going to be a change to not see the same familiar faces and places,” Blackstock said.

Both are ready to take on the real world and see what lies ahead in the future.

“I am looking forward to learning more about myself and the world around me. In the next five to 10 years, I hope to see myself graduated with a bachelor’s in History and Anthropology. After that, I hope to attend Brown University to be a part of their Egyptology and Assyriology graduate program,” Meyerhoff said.

“I can’t wait to meet new people. I am looking forward to making new lifelong friends and am excited to make connections with people in the same field of study as mine. I know that by building new relationship, I will be able to further my career and education. In the next five to 10 years, I see myself attending medical school to become a specialized health care provider, hopefully an endocrinologist. Eventually, I hope to open my own clinic,” Blackstock said.

Caroline is the daughter of Rhonda Barr and Brent Meyerhoff. She has two brothers, Dalton Meyerhoff and Bryson Meyerhoff.

Ada is the daughter of Andy and Amy Blackstock. She has an older brother, Drew Blackstock, and a Scottish Fold cat named Claude Blackstock.