On January 29th of this year, Luke Hagerich was awarded the title of the class of 2026’s salutatorian. The salutatorian title is awarded to those who ranked second in the entire senior class. On top of achieving the salutatorian title, Luke was also named this year’s star student, another highly prestigious title awarded to those in the top tenth percentile of the class with the highest single date SAT score. It is incredibly rare for a student to achieve both of these titles simultaneously; however, many of Luke’s peers are not surprised by this revelation, citing his hard work and dedication through out not only the past four years at Armuchee High School, but his entire life inside and outside of school. “He’s very successful with his grades and his sport, and very involved with this community,” Tori Vitello, a close friend of Luke’s, said.
At Armuchee, Luke is involved in the National Honors Society (NHS), Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), student leadership, Key Club, and superintendent advisory council. However, Luke is not only a member in most of these activities; He is the president of NHS and the senior class in student leadership, as well as an FCA Huddle leader. Over his high school years, Luke has also been involved in Academic Decathlon and the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). Luke also works at Winshape camp over the summer. Luke also ran track and cross country. “I liked coaching the middle school track. That was the [extracurricular] I was most of proud of because, I don’t know, It’s fun,” Hagerich said.
A common theme among Luke’s most notable aspects in his success story are those in which he enjoyed himself. When asked about his motivation behind this success-driven mindset, Luke said, “I want to be the best I can, the best version of myself.” Through his consistent efforts to push himself, Luke has learned to appreciate the positive atmosphere that may arise within the rigor. This fact was most notable when Luke cited Mrs. Rattledge’s AP European History during his sophomore year to be his favorite class due to the fun and interesting facts Mrs. Rattledge would teach. Many of Luke’s friends claim that a key point of his character is his easy going attitude despite the immense academic pressure. “I would describe Luke as very friendly, and… even with how involved and how everything is on his plate, he’s still very laid back and easy to be around, and go along with,” Vitello said.
After graduation, Luke plans to major in finance and mathematics at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He plans to use this degree to acquire a career in Venture capital or possibly investment banking. Luke wants to be remembered as someone who always stayed committed to his school and the Armuchee community. Many of Luke’s peers view him as an inspiration to work harder, citing that Luke inspires them to work harder in their own academics, a fact that has become vital for the seniors as they approach the end of their schooling. “ I feel like he raises the academic competition and… he’s very focused, and he inspires me to actually be in my studies,” Vitello said.
During the graduation ceremony, Luke will leave the class with his final speech as a senior of Armuchee High School; he will stand up before the podium and bestow the most uplifting message he can provide onto his fellow classmates, encouraging them to join him as he climbs his way up towards monumental goals. Graduating as Armuchee’s salutatorian is not Luke’s end point, but it is certainly a memorable step he will take on his path to success.
