Huff sisters named valedictorians at Southwest DeKalb High

Gabrielle Noel Huff (left), Southwest DeKalb High School Class of 2019 magnet valedictorian and sister, Hannah Ciara Huff, Southwest DeKalb High School class of 2016 valedictorian

By Mackenzie N. Morgan

Last week, Gabrielle Huff, 18, turned in her final high school assignment—the 2019 Valedictorian speech she will give at the Southwest DeKalb High School graduation on Sunday, June 2, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

“I plan to thank my parents and hope to inspire my classmates to work hard and remind them that nothing good comes easy,” said Huff, who earned magnet valedictorian with a 4.32 GPA.

Gabrielle’s sister, Hannah Huff, now 21 and a veterinary science major at University of Georgia, gave a similar speech when she received class valedictorian for Southwest DeKalb in 2016.

“I was surprised, but I wasn’t surprised,” said Clementine “Cooky” Huff, the girls’ mother. “They always did what they were supposed to without being told and were independent from a young age.”

In addition to a rigorous academic course load filled with challenging classes, Huff maintained a tight schedule of extracurricular activities including part-time work at Chick-Fil-A, dancing for her school’s drill team and Beta Club among other things. Last fall, she was crowned Miss Southwest during the homecoming season.

“Both of our children’s schedules were packed with positive and productive things. Their father and I constantly reinforced positive habits and relationships by prioritizing their activities and forming relationships with the families of their friends,” said Mrs. Huff.

Mrs. Huff went on to attribute the girls’ daycare with introducing good habits from the time the girls could walk.

“Their father and I never had to tell them to do their homework. Every day after daycare, they would bring home a worksheet and announce they needed to do their homework. So while I would be in the kitchen cooking, that’s what they did,” said Mrs. Huff.

Gabrielle Huff plans to major in sports journalism in the fall at University of Georgia and aspires to attend law school and eventually become a sports agent.