Valentina Urias has a knack for making people feel comfortable.
The Greenbrier senior ended up with more than 8,000 votes, or 50% of the total, in The Tennessean’s Student of the Week poll honoring the most helpful upperclassmen.
We asked Middle Tennessee schools to tell us all about their sophomores, juniors and seniors who have helped guide incoming freshman through the first few weeks of school and why they should be chosen as Student of the Week.
Urias was nominated by Coach Kris Thomas.
“I have seen on the field and at school how helpful she is,” Thomas said. “(Valentina) Urias helped a lot of my freshman with where to go first day and during the open house. She set things up and was present and just makes everyone feel uplifted everyday with a positive attitude. She’s a great kid!”
Urias was one of five nominees in The Tennessean’s second Student of the Week poll of 2025-26.
The Tennessean asks school officials during the school year to nominate students in different categories for our weekly Student of the Week feature, and then readers decide who comes out on top in our weekly poll.
Be sure to check Tennessean.com and vote in the next poll on Sept. 15.
As always, we believe every student who gets nominated is a winner. Below are the other four nominations in the helpful upperclassmen category and what was said about each:
Kaylee Herndon, Smyrna High School
Kaylee is an office aide, peer tutor and student body president. She goes above and beyond daily to make sure all students feel safe and seen at school. She represents the best of the bulldogs!
Ava Cavallini, Stewart County High School
Ava, a senior, has served as a positive role model to all underclassmen through her time in Career and Technical Education at Stewart County High School. In addition to helping students explore possible CTE pathways, she has been a leader in the Dover Future Farmers of America Chapter for four years. She exemplifies the standard that is set for every student at Stewart County High School.
Chris Duarte, Hendersonville High School
Chris has encouraged an AP-level freshman class to participate in school activities like Model UN. He acts as a mentor to them as they navigate high school and their challenging classes. He is positive, approachable and encouraging.
Kylee Keith, Westmoreland High School
Kylee is a junior who goes above and beyond to support the freshmen. During the beginning of the school year, she overheard a teacher telling a freshman they needed a binder for class. By the next day, she had gone out, bought a binder and dividers, and even set it up for her. This is just one example of her kindness and leadership.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Greenbrier senior named most helpful Tennessean Student of the Week