Sickles valedictorian has sights set on UF

CITRUS PARK — As another class graduates from Sickles High School, the 2023 graduates have a lot to be excited for. They made it through the funky world of COVID that disrupted their normal learning schedules and can now celebrate earning their diplomas among friends sans masks.

Sickles valedictorian Tatum Pope is excited for the year ahead and what life at college will bring. After four years of studying, getting the best grades, and participating in high school sports, another chapter is getting ready to close.

While some valedictorians dream of earning the title throughout all four years of high school, for Tatum it wasn’t really a goal. For the graduating senior, she said it wasn’t until her junior year that she realized she needed to have competitive grades to get into her first-choice school — the University of Florida — so she began working harder on her academics.

“I wasn’t very school-focused growing up, so it’s kind of weird now that I’m valedictorian,” Tatum said. “I feel like I haven’t been able to process it because it’s not like me.”

While most students found out about their valedictorian status during an Honors Breakfast in February, Tatum was away for a Sickles volleyball tournament in New Orleans when she got the good news. It was an even sweeter weekend because that’s also when she heard from UF that she was accepted for the fall term.

With an 8.34 weighted GPA, Tatum put in the work to earn the title of valedictorian. She took 17 dual enrollment classes and as many Advanced Placement courses as she could. Among her favorite subjects were AP calculus with Mr. Brashear and AP biology with Mr. Liebelt.

“AP Bio is a really challenging class and Mr. Liebelt taught it well,” Tatum said. “He was also funny. He wasn’t just a teacher, he was someone you could talk to and laugh with, which was nice. He formed a connection with his students.”

In addition to her studious nature, Tatum found a balance between the world of academics and high school sports, participating on the school’s volleyball team all four years.

Tatum served as the captain of her volleyball team during her junior and senior years, and at the beginning of this school year, a website called Prime Time Preps voted Tatum as the top 7A volleyball player in Hillsborough County.

Looking back, Tatum said that some of her proudest achievements were being named valedictorian and getting into UF. She was also proud to have been named Team MVP this year and Offensive MVP last year. Tatum recently received the Scholar Athlete Award at Sickles and Hillsborough County Public Schools awarded her a $1,000 scholarship for it.

Tatum plans to double-major in architecture and construction management when she attends UF in the fall. To celebrate graduation, Tatum said she’ll be visiting Disney World with her family and Thomas Bly, her boyfriend of four years, who will be a senior in the fall.