I wrote The Valedictorian when I was 21 years old without any intention of it being made. I was frustrated by the reactions of white people in my community following the 2020 BLM Movement. People that I had known all my life suddenly became bitter towards me and my family when we spoke up. I wrote this short film to show that a black person from any background can be a target of racial discrimination: It doesn't matter if you're a "thug" or a Valedictorian. What happens to these characters could happen to me.