Be Remarkable: Meet Lovie Valdivia-Tucker

Salem Academy senior boarding student Lovie Valdivia-Tucker was introduced to the Salem community at an early age by her mother, a Salem College alumna. While growing up, Lovie saw her mom’s connection to Salem and her former classmates, whom Lovie calls her aunts, and she was excited to begin her freshman year at Salem. “I saw that sense of community, and that was something I wanted,” Lovie said. Her favorite tradition at Salem is Saber Sorting: “It’s so fun bonding with the new students!”

Lovie has been participating in the robotics program at Salem Academy since her freshman year. She also began working behind the scenes on theater productions and joined the fencing team. Learning new skills in high school has been exciting for Lovie, who said she “had never tried fencing before I came to Salem. There are so many things I wouldn’t have been able to do without Salem’s support.” 

Building on her diverse interests at Salem, Lovie further expanded her horizons earlier this year during Salem’s Maymester, when she had the opportunity to intern with Novant Health. She was able to shadow an orthopedic surgeon, who allowed her to watch three total knee replacements. This experience was life-changing for Lovie. “I plan to study chemistry in college and then go to medical school and hopefully stick with orthopedic surgery,” she said of the impact the internship had on her.

As she reflects on her journey the past four years, Lovie is grateful for the influence Salem Academy has had on her. Looking ahead to her final months as a Salem Academy student and all that’s to come, Lovie said, “I’m proud of a lot of what I’ve done at Salem. No matter where we go, we’ll always stand out because of what we’ve learned here, and because of how we’ve been taught to be confident in ourselves.”