By L. Parsons Brooke Williams set a goal for herself in junior high school. “I was the valedictorian in junior high and I told myself that if I could do it there, I could do it in high school too. So, at least since then but probably before that, I knew it is something that I wanted.” Williams reached that goal with a 4.65 weighted grade point average as she graduated as co-valedictorian of Winslow High School. She is the type of student that works hard toward her goals and has been rewarded along the way. She began her senior year as the homecoming queen and was looking forward to her final year of high school softball. “I thought after homecoming, my senior year would be nothing but fun from there. We would get to have prom and I would play sports and spend time with my friends.” However, as she pointed out, the end of the school year has been anything but typical for her and her classmates. Winslow closed their school sites due to COVID-19 on March 15. The students never returned to regular instruction after spring break. For Williams, that was the time that she should have been in the middle of her last year as a player on the Winslow Bulldog softball team. “The main thing is that we had such a young team and they would normally be able to see the upper classmen play and learn from them. We only got to play like six games so the girls didn’t get to be on the field much or learn from the team leaders. It was sad for me too, because I watched three classes in front of me be able to play their last game on our field and to have senior night.” The four-year letterman and starting catcher is still looking out for her teammates even as the season ended abruptly. “A Winslow Bulldog softball player should never give up on herself or on her teammates.” Williams will be moving on to play softball for Central Arizona College on a full scholarship where she will earn an associate’s degree in biology. Her hope is to then transfer to a four-year university and study sports medicine. Her attitude remains positive through the uncertainty of the COVID-19 situation. “There is nothing we can do about it,” she said, “So we just have to make the best of it. Yes, it is hard that we don’t get to have the traditional graduation ceremony, but a graduation ceremony should not define your future. The graduation celebration is different, yes but everything the high school is doing is awesome. They are putting together a lot for us and it is going to be fun. People are going to want to have a graduation like ours next year.” In the June 3 edition, co-valedictorian Chloe Jarrin will be featured.
