This is the second in a series of three profiles of Bulloch County Schools 2024 valedictorians. Special thanks to BCS for highlighting these impressive students and sharing their stories with us!
Nick Cortes, 18, the 2024 valedictorian of Statesboro High School, is the son of Juan and Linda Cortes of Statesboro.
He has been accepted to the University of Georgia and the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has chosen the latter to attend in the fall, where he plans to major in computer engineering.
“I felt drawn to engineering because of my strengths in math and science and my love for problem solving,” Nick said. “I think I could enjoy programming, and computer engineering will teach me about computer software and hardware which will give me more versatility in a constantly changing field.”
In addition to funds from Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship, Nick has received nearly $10,000 in local scholarships from the Statesboro Exchange Club, Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club, Kathy Brunson Scholarship, Perry Clanton Memorial Scholarship, and the Elizabeth Scott Brown Scholars in Service Foundation.
Nick credits his mother, Linda, with his academic success, which in addition to being valedictorian includes being a Georgia Certificate of Merit and a Harvard Book Prize Award winner.
“My mom always made sure I was being challenged outside of school. She encouraged me to read a lot, which I think is especially important at a younger age. She taught me to care about school.”
He shared that his parents are extremely proud of him. “They know I have always been good academically, but they have never seen me work so hard for so long.”
Nick admits that he’s wanted to be valedictorian since his freshman year of high school when he first realized the top honor existed.
“I was first in my class my junior year, and I received an award for the highest overall average that year, but before then, I had never had the highest academic average. I'd always been close, and I even had the highest average in many of my individual classes, but junior year was the first time I had the highest overall average.”
Statesboro High School’s salutatorian and STAR student, Eli Compton, is Nick’s friend and academic encourager.
“It (valedictorian) was very close between Eli and me. He and I have been friends since he moved here in the fifth grade. He has always been someone who I could depend on to explain complicated concepts in any subject. I think our relationship has encouraged both of us to be better academically.”
The academic class that Nick enjoyed most in school was math. In 2023, he won second place in Related Technical Math at the National SkillsUSA Conference. He was also a first-place individual winner in the Bulloch Academy Math Tournament.
“I love problem solving and logic, and math is a great place to use those skills. It feels great to work on a problem for a long time and finally find the solution. I also enjoy the competitive side of math, and that is why I have participated in the math team since elementary school.”
Nick attended Julia P. Bryant Elementary School whose Math Department started and annually hosts the Reggie Dawson Memorial Math Tournament each spring for Bulloch County’s third and fourth-grade students. He also attended William James Middle School where he was the school’s spelling bee champion in 2019, and went on to be first runner-up in the Bulloch County Spelling Bee.
One of Nick’s favorite teachers, Rich McCombs, his Advanced Placement Environmental Science teacher, can attest to Nick’s math abilities.
“I often refer to Nick as a walking-human calculator,” McCombs said. “He can and has derived solutions to mathematical higher-level challenges that most people of any age need an actual calculator to do. He not only is extremely brilliant in mathematics, he has excelled in all subjects, and he is not hesitant to help his classmates understand material in a different fashion. He is one of the nicest, most respectful, humble, and intelligent young men that I have had the honor to know and teach.”
Nick’s other favorite teacher was Anthony Hammett, his Advanced Placement United States Government & Politics and Advanced Placement U.S. History teacher. He remembers Nick as a “difference maker” and a “young man who will make us proud in the future.”
“He has all the intangibles of an intellectually gifted student coupled with a relentless work ethic,” Hammett said. “He is an even better human. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to work with him.”
In addition to academics, being a member of Statesboro’s track and field and cross country teams were another passion of Nick’s. In fact this school year he achieved personal best times in the 800 Meter and 1600 Meter which placed him on the top ten of Statesboro High’s athletic record books as having the eighth and ninth fastest times respectively in school history (since 2010). He was also a member of the school’s 4x800 relay team that in 2023 achieved the second fastest time in Statesboro High history.
“Cross country has been the most enjoyable part of high school for me. I started running my sophomore year because I had a few friends who encouraged me to join. I loved cross country because it allowed me to challenge myself each day and do it with a group of people who would become some of my closest friends.”
Nick also took part in multiple extracurricular clubs and academic competitions in high school. He was president of Statesboro’s Mu Alpha Theta Math Team, vice president of the SkillsUSA chapter, secretary of the National Beta Club chapter, and a member of the Science Quiz Bowl team.
He knows that there will be much to learn when he heads to college, but he’s remembering a quote by Andre Gide that he used in his valedictory address.
“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
