Red Deer Public announces 2026 valedictorians

The summer following Grade 11, Tong was fortunate to participate in the WISEST (Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and Technology) program at the University of Alberta. WISEST gives students the chance to work in a university lab while living on campus.

“I learned a lot about independence because it was my first time living away from home,” she said. “I worked in a lab every day, so I had to stay on campus. I had to cook, clean, and take care of everyday tasks on my own.”

This fall, Cindy will attend Western University, where she has committed to the Bachelor of Management and Organizational Studies program. She has also earned an Ivey Advanced Entry Opportunity (AEO), a conditional offer for admission into the prestigious Ivey Business School for her third and fourth years of study.

Tong, who spoke to rdnewsNOW last fall for a Remembrance Day story, hopes to enter the investment banking and private equity world in the long term.

“I have made a lot of good connections and friends and am thankful for the community I shared this journey with,” she added. “I have really enjoyed the [Hunting Hills] staff and getting to know my teachers. They have always been so supportive. My whole graduating class has been awesome too.”

A hop, skip, and a jump over at Lindsay Thurber, Hannah Weldon is a standout student-athlete, competing hard in the classroom and on every field of play.

Weldon has repped the Raiders in many school sports, including volleyball, basketball, and track and field; she’s also on a volleyball squad outside of school.

“I always put my best effort into everything I do,” she said. “I thought, it’s my Grade 12 year – do the best that you can.”

But balancing all that with school is hard, she admitted.

“Balancing so many extracurriculars with school, you have to be on top of things,” she said. “At a young age, I realized that I needed to apply myself to stay on track. I developed really good time management skills, which really helped me later in my high school years.”

One highlight, she shared, was capturing provincial gold this year with the senior girls’ volleyball team, especially doing so on their home court.

Weldon is set to attend Simon Fraser University in B.C., where she will study biomedical physiology and continue playing volleyball.

by rdnewsNOW staff

Red Deer Public announces 2026 valedictorians

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