HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Not many students celebrate their sweet 16 and become valedictorian in the same year, but that’s what Bhavya Bansal did with a record-breaking 11.3 GPA.
Use extreme caution before entering Bhavya’s room; there’s a scholar hard at work. She loves showing off the hoodie with her favorite saying, “She said she could, and she did.”
In the 90 years of Middleton High School, her 11.3 is the highest GPA ever.
“That’s actually incredible; I’m so humbled and honored to be able to have that privilege to break that record,” said Bansal, whose academic ambition allowed her to skip ahead two years.
Her achievements go well beyond the classroom. She was also the first female to join the wrestling team.
“There was a lot of pushback; all the guys were like, ‘there is no way that this girl can be on this team,’ but you know, I proved myself, I found a spot, and I ended up being captain my senior year,” said Bansal.
When she wasn’t pinning opponents, she was trying to pin down cures for sickle cell disease, volunteering at a hematology-oncology clinic. She even did a Ted Talk on health disparities faced around the nation.
“I want to be a surgeon, I want to be a doctor, I live for that every single day, and that’s what gets me up in the morning, and just to see that everyone around me is supporting me and what I want to do, my principal, my mom and dad, my teachers,” said Bansal.
Bhavya’s newest pursuit is a program she created called Make Your Name, where she mentors middle and high school students.
“And we kind of talk about their goals, their ambitions, what they are hoping to achieve, if they are in high school how to prep for SAT’s, how to write college applications,” said Bansal. “It’s just a service that I’m providing because I feel like getting knowledge or information from a student that has actually done it, students are more inspired.”
As for Bhavya’s next big piece of the puzzle, a trip to Cleveland, where she will be attending Case Western Reserve University this fall.
“I may freeze to death, but we’ll see,” said Bansal.
