Ozark Catholic Academy's Class of 2022

Valedictorian

Anna Constantino, 17

Parish: St. Benedict Church, Subiaco

Parents: Glenn and Maria Constantino 

College and major: Taking a gap year to serve as a missionary for NET Ministries

What goals do you want to pursue after college? I hope to spend my life helping others to become better people. I hope to one day become a mother and raise my children as children of God and help them to become the people God wants them to be. In addition to my own family, I hope to work in a field that will allow me to help others become better people such as child counseling or Catholic youth ministry. 

What is your proudest accomplishment to date? I have sacrificed a great deal over the last four years to attend the only Catholic high school in northwest Arkansas, which is two hours away from my hometown. I have spent four years residing with different host families and driving then driving home on the weekends. I sacrificed time away from my family and hundreds of hours in the car traveling back and forth. My proudest moment, however, is not the fact that I was able to stick with this for four years, but instead when another student near my hometown decided to apply to OCA, it was because she saw me make the sacrifice to travel the miles away from home, she realized she could do it too. She saw that I made it possible and realized that dream could become a reality for her as well. Hearing that my sacrifices had that much of an impact on someone else’s future meant a lot to me. Knowing that because of my high school experience, another girl will be able to fulfill her dream of continuing her Catholic education after many years of believing that dream could never be possible. 

How will your faith be a part of your future? My faith will always be a large part of my identity. I have been raised as a cradle Catholic and my faith and belief in God are a large part of who I am. My faith will not only be a part of how I identify in the future, but my faith will guide me to my future. I will pray and rely on God to show me where he wants me to go and what he wants me to do with and in my future. I'm excited to see where he leads me. 

Scholarships: Scholar-Athlete Scholarship, Paris Rotary Scholarship 

Honors and awards: All-State, cross country; All-Conference, cross country, track; Most Improved, track; Golden Shoe Award, cross county; Griffin Wings Award, track; Griffin Society; Scholar-Athlete; Veritas Award; National Honor Society Member