A goal written in her freshman year has become a reality for graduating Big Sandy senior Paige Cox. The standout student has accomplished her dream of being the Class of 2026 valedictorian.
“That was kind of something that my mom always pushed for through me and my siblings,” Cox said of her academics. “It was always to get good grades, because that kind of gives you an opportunity to go to college and further your education.
“When I was a freshman, we were in my IPC (integrated physics and chemistry) class, and (the teacher) told us to write down a goal on a piece of paper. My goal was that I wanted to be valedictorian by the time we were graduating as seniors. So, it’s really special to me that I ended up actually being valedictorian.”
Cox didn’t spend all four years of high school with her nose in a book. She was a standout basketball player as the team’s point guard, and in softball, where she was a leadoff hitter.
“When you decide that you want to join a sport, it’s not necessarily a sacrifice, but it’s kind of is a sacrifice of your time, because that’s you choosing to also add something else to your life, to your balance. Keeping up your grades, that’s already a challenge in itself. When you add a sport in there – maybe two or three and a couple other clubs – that’s where things get a little bit tricky.
“You just have to set aside the time. Sometimes, it’s late night; sometimes, it’s waking up early. Sometimes, it’s skipping things that you want to go do. Maybe I want to go to the movies, but no, I have a test tomorrow and I have a game tomorrow. So no, I have to stay home. It’s definitely a sacrifice in some areas of your life, but it definitely pays off in the end.”
Cox plans to attend Texas State University in San Marcos, pursuing a degree in electrical engineering.
“I’m definitely excited about that. It’s a great opportunity for me because Texas State ended up offering me a good scholarship to go there. I got an academic scholarship of $32,000 to go there. I was really blessed to receive around $61,000 in total. Then, there’s still a couple that I’m waiting to hear back on. That’s going to be a big help.”
Cox said Texas State came out on top because of a number of factors.
“I knew that I wanted to go for electrical engineering. So, I was looking at the different programs around here. I knew that I didn’t want to go to a huge university. I kind of wanted to go to a smaller one. I was kind of in between Lamar and Texas State, and the deciding factor for me was the amount of money that Texas State offered me.
“I really like the location. I like that it’s not super close to home, but it’s not too far away that I can’t come home and visit. They have a really good engineering program. Honestly, it just seemed like the best option.”
The valedictorian has chosen electrical engineering to follow in her uncle’s footsteps.
“From a young kid, I always really looked up to him and admired what he did. I’ve kind of bounced off that a little bit. I definitely did some research on it. I like that the electrical engineer gets to design and gets to map out things. I knew that I didn’t want to be a lineman or anything like that, but I’m going to stick to the things I know. I’m pretty good in math, it’s a really good career, and it’s up and coming, so it’s a good opportunity for me.
“I’m hoping that I can maybe get an internship somewhere, maybe my junior, senior year of college, and hopefully kind of ride off that and see if I can get a job somewhere as an electrical engineer – hopefully one day coming back to Livingston and working at SHECO (Sam Houston Electric Co-Op). That’s my ultimate dream.”
The Hill Country is an area Cox would go on vacation to float the river, beginning the attraction to that part of Texas.
Just graduating high school, Cox will fly past her freshman year of college, carrying 27 college hours to San Marcos through a dual-credit program.
“She’s going to be an engineer, no doubt in my mind,” Big Sandy Principal Jacob Rae said. “She’s one of the kids that has faced probably more adversity than a lot of kids that you see, and she’s always shown up with a smile on her face and gotten to work. I can tell you that she’s like a rock. She’s always going to be as solid as they come, especially when times get bad. She’s just stable. Anything I’ve ever needed from her, she does it. I’m going to miss her.”
