EAST HARTFORD, CT — Enfield resident Lauren Attenello has been named valedictorian of the class of 2018 at Goodwin College. She will be graduating Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor degree in Human Services on June 2.

Attenello, 21, graduated with high honors from Enfield High School in 2014. During her tenure there, she received numerous awards, including drama club president and the National School Choral Award. She won the Enfield Idol singing competition in 2014. She received an Associates in Human Services, Summa Cum Laude from Asnuntuck Community College in 2016, as well as a certificate in Gerontology and a certificate in Human Service Management in 2016 before transferring to Goodwin. At Asnuntuck, she was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa honor society.

"When I first saw Goodwin, at the age of 9, I knew that I wanted to go there, and I managed to follow my heart," she said. She also attends Manchester Community College, studying for an Associate degree in Therapeutic Recreation.

In 2017, Attenello was inducted into Tau Upsilon Alpha, the National Honor Society in Human Services, at Goodwin College. This year, she was named the Outstanding Graduate in Therapeutic Recreation at Manchester Community College. In her off hours, she works at Stickley Furniture as a showroom receptionist and Fresh River Healthcare as a therapeutic recreation director.

She said she aspires to become a Senior Center Director and work in the geriatric field.