Top Honors for the Class of 2026

St. Agnes Academy is pleased to announce the top honors for the Class of 2026. Congratulations to Valedictorian Emma Caesar, Salutatorian Lilliana Vescovo, and Third Honors Sarah Juarez!

Valedictorian Emma Caesar will enroll at the University of Georgia as a Genetics Major. She has been awarded the Brian Piccolo Award from UNICO Memphis.

With a love of science and a heart for service, Emma spent last summer as a St. Jude Research Intern, participating in the highly competitive St. Jude Children's Research Hospital High School Research Immersion Program. She is a member of the STEM and HOSA Clubs and has embraced leadership roles as Class Chaplain and Class Minister of Service.

She is currently President of the Stars for Life Club and Vice President of both the National Beta Club and Key Club. Emma is an ACT Distinguished Scholar as well as an AP Scholar with Honor. She also received Scholar Athlete recognition as a member of the Varsity Cross Country and Varsity Track teams. She was awarded the Tulane Book Award and the Dominican Torch Award.

Emma has served SAA as a member of the Honor Council, a Student Ambassador, and a Retreat Leader. She is a member of the National Honor Society, National English Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, National Science Honor Society, and National Social Studies Honor Society. She is a four-year member of Forever Friends, Angels Among the Stars, and the Blessing Blanket Club. 

Emma has also been awarded the Belmont Trustee Scholarship, Auburn Presidential Scholarship, The University of Tennessee Knoxville Chancellor's Honors College/Summit Fellow, UTK Volunteer Scholarship, University of Georgia Classic Scholars Waiver, Tennessee Hope Scholarship, Clemson University Merit Scholarship,  University of Alabama Presidential Scholarship, University of Mississippi Academic Merit Award, University of Mississippi J Means Non-Resident Merit Award, and a University of Mississippi STEM Major Non-Resident Award. 

Salutatorian Lilliana Vescovo will attend the Honors College at the University of South Carolina, where she was awarded the Academic Scholar-Superlative Award. She intends to major in Biology on a Pre-Med track.

Lilliana received a College Board National School Recognition Award, and she is an AP Scholar with Honor as well as an ACT Distinguished Scholar. She was selected to participate in the Tulane Pre-College Immersion Program and was chosen for the Yale Book Award and the Dominican Torch Award.

A leader in her class, Lilliana is the President of Angels Among the Stars and Vice-President of the HOSA Club.  She has served as STEM Club Secretary and as Co-Captain of the Canstruction Team. Lilliana is a four-year member of the tennis team as well as a member of the Beta Club and Key Club. She has served the SAA school community as a Student Ambassador, Retreat Leader, Teacher’s Assistant, and Honor Council member. 

Also a talented artist, Lilliana received a BRACE Art Award, a Delta Fair Art Show Award and Honorable Mention recognition in the Mid-South Scholastic Art Competition both her junior and senior years. She is a member of the National Honor Society, English Honor Society, Art Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society, and Spanish Honor Society.

Lilliana is also the recipient of the Texas Christian University Dean's Scholarship, Elon University Presidential Scholarship, Elon University Phoenix Award, Clemson University Merit Scholarship, and the Tennessee Hope Scholarship.

Sarah Juarez earned Third Honors for the Class of 2026. Sarah will attend Washington University in St. Louis as an Annika Rodriguez Scholar. She has been awarded the WashU Scholarship and plans to major in both Visual Arts and Marketing.

Sarah is an AP Scholar with Honor, an ACT Scholar, and the recipient of the UVA Jefferson Book Award. She is a member of the National Honor Society, the Art Honor Society (for which she serves as President), Science Honor Society, English Honor Society, Social Studies Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, and the Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society.

An accomplished artist, Sarah currently serves as Chief Editor of Calliope, the SAA Literary Arts Magazine and is a participant in the highly selective Contemporary Arts Memphis program. Throughout high school, she has received numerous awards at the Mid-South Fair and Delta Fair Art Shows. She is a multi-award winner in the Mid-South Scholastic Art Competition (2 Gold Keys, 5 Silver Keys, and 5 Honorable Mentions) and was a Silver Key winner in the National Scholastic Art Competition. Sarah was the winner of the 2024 Mid-South Diocesan Christmas Card Contest.

She has served SAA as a Student Ambassador, Retreat Leader, FSO Coordinator, and Class Event Coordinator. She has participated in Beta Club, HOSA Club, STEM Club, Hispanic Student Organization, and as a member of the Canstruction Team.

Sarah has also been awarded an additional WashU Scholarship, the Rhodes College Founder's Award, the University of Arkansas New Arkansan Non-Resident Tuition Award 90%, and the Tennessee Hope Scholarship.