Laura Wilcox Finds Success by 'Just Staying Focused'

senior Laura Wilcox isn’t likely to stand out in a crowd.

The soon-to-be high school graduate is soft spoken and laid back, someone who likes to avoid the spotlight as she goes about her daily business. She doesn’t crave attention, but the 17-year-old will get plenty of it next week when she takes to the podium as the Class of 2012 salutatorian.

“Laura might be soft spoken, but she is a very caring and intelligent individual,” Southington High School Principal Martin Semmel. “When you look at her record, she’s worked hard year after year and managed to participate in athletics and activities. Laura is a delight to have in our school.”

Aside from participating on the cross country and track teams, Wilcox is also a member of both National Honor Society and the Foreign Language National Honor Society.

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For Wilcox, the success has come in staying focused on the tasks at hand and looking forward to spending more time studying what she is passionate about, mathematics and science. She is a member of WISE, women and science and engineering, and aspires to find a job in chemistry.

She lives in Plantsville with her parents Larry and Lauren Wilcox, her brother Bryan Wilcox, and the family dog Bruce Almighty.

Born in Waterbury, Wilcox moved to Southington when she was just 4-years-old. She attended and , joining the cross country and tracks teams there and finding a love for running.

“I’m not sure what it is about running, it’s just something I’ve always enjoyed doing,” she said.

Semmel said she has been a standout on the team, never giving in and encouraging her classmates to work harder and reach their goals.

What sets Wilcox apart from other students in Southington is her desire to be challenged. She said her favorite teacher was Keith Gregorian-Michaelsen because he always made her think outside the box and ran his class more like a college course.

Wilcox will attend Stonehill College in the fall where she will major in chemistry with a minor in business. She said she’s looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead.

“I just want to be able to focus on what I love and eventually find a job doing something that I’m passionate about,” she said.

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