Poplar Grad Looking Forward To Stanford

Recent Poplar High School graduate Alexus Culbertson is certainly on her way to making her dreams come true.

Culbertson graduated as one of her school’s co-valedictorians on Sunday, May 23. “It was nerve-wracking,” she said of providing a speech in front of a large crowd. “But it was nice to be able to give a shout out to my teachers and family.”

Even before high school graduation, however, she realized another dream when she was accepted to Stanford University. Although she is interested in the medical field, she is unsure of what her major will be at this time.

“I’m sure there’s a lot of opportunities there,” Culbertson said. “I might find there are things that I like that I don’t even know about yet.”

She explains that one of the reasons she was always interested in Stanford was that her aunt Samantha Azure attended the university. “I’ve always looked up to her,” Culbertson said.

She added, “Obviously, it’s a great school. It’s at Ivy League standard and I’ve always wanted to be in California.”

To get accepted, Culbertson needed to submit a personal statement, essay about herself, nine supplemental essays, ACT scores and financial records.

Her involvement at Poplar High School has included being on student council, president of National Honor Society, president of Business Professionals of America and student representative on the JOM Native American student association.

She has greatly appreciated the education that she received in Poplar.

“It’s one big family,” Culbertson said of Poplar. “Everybody helps each other out.”

Culbertson has excelled in art projects especially paintings with Native American themes. She has been selling pieces since the end of the her freshman year and has been creating custom orders for some people.

Her education has also included attending the Harvard Furshpan-Potter Native American Summer Program held in Boston. Topics of the series of lectures included addiction and mental health.

“It was a real good experience,” Culbertson said.

She admits that she has mixed feelings about leaving Eastern Montana to further her education in California. It will be tough to leave her family especially her 10-month-old brother. “But I’m also ready to start a new chapter in my life,” Culbertson said.

She encourages other students to reach for their dreams.

“If I can do it, anybody can do it,” Culbertson said. “You just have to try hard and have dedication and discipline.”