Even though she is the 2019 Benet Academy Salutatorian, that does not mean Cassidy Latchford can resist the urge to belt out one of her favorite tunes at the top of her lungs. However, Cassidy knows how to balance having a good time and an outgoing social life with maintaining excellence in the classroom. She has a 100.85 weighted all subject GPA, and she credits it all to her parents who have always been there to support her. Specifically, Cassidy thanks her father, who she always looked up to due to his relentless work ethic. She also credits her mother for the countless acts of love such as staying up late with her as she did her homework heating up her car in the winter. Last, Cassidy attributes her success to her personality, saying, “I am a perfectionist, so I can never not do something right. I motivate myself to always do the best I can with whatever I am doing.” In addition, she feels very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to learn and grow at such a prestigious institution: “I recognize that others do not get the same opportunity I have to attend a school like Benet, so I have tried to get the most out of my experience here!” As a result of her hard work, Cassidy will be attending Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, in the fall. She will be majoring in Psychology and Political Science and joining the Army ROTC, but is very open to the possibility of several different fields. After studying at Vanderbilt, Cassidy is hoping to pursue a career in the FBI one day.

​As Cassidy begins her next journey, she reflects upon some of her favorite memories at Benet, including her time on the LOGOS retreat and on the Guatemala service trip. She highly recommends the latter, saying, “Guatemala shows you what is truly important in life and how blessed we are. It does not take much to be happy; all you need is a little love and a few tortillas.” In the future, she has some unique goals: solving a Rubix cube in under 35 seconds, visiting over 100 countries, being fluent in over five languages, and getting over her fear of bridges. The one piece of advice Cassidy would give to future students is this: “Do not take anything for granted and make the most out of what you are given.”