High school salutatorian inspires others by confidently sporting unique Goth look in yearbook photo

Students are expected to be prim and proper while taking their yearbook pictures but one girl decided to stand out from the crowd and embrace her unique sense of style instead. Weronika Jachimowicz was a high school senior at Mattituck High School in 2021 when the then-17-year-old had the opportunity to take two photos for the yearbook.

According to TODAY, Jachimowicz graduated as a salutatorian with the second-highest grade in her class, ranking right behind the valedictorian, Luke Altman, with an unweighted GPA of 97.27%. She decided to take one "normal" photo and for the second shot, she decided to embrace the Goth style she loves. Jachimowicz expressed her Goth girl style by wearing black clothes, lipstick, dark and bold eye shadows and several layers of metallic accessories, including a pair of black horns, a choker and a spider web necklace.

"I always have been attracted to this kind of style ever since I was younger," Jachimowicz said. "I just wanted to incorporate everything I loved, like the multiple earrings, multiple necklaces, just very... out there. I just wanted to really look goth for my final year because that’s just who I am. I want to go out with a bang!" The former student did not expect to go viral with her yearbook photoshoot and only expected her townsfolk to see her senior photo.

"Both Luke and Weronika have demonstrated the perseverance and commitment needed to earn the prestigious distinction of Class of 2021 valedictorian and salutatorian," Jill Gierasch, the superintendent of the school, told Patch. "This achievement, especially during these challenging times, is a major accomplishment in their academic careers."

When @juleslipoff shared Jachimowicz's photo on Twitter with a caption that read "You go girl," the post immediately went viral, amassing over half a million likes. The photo which was taken by Pixels Photography had initially made Jachimowicz really nervous as she feared that the picture might have been grabbing eyeballs for negative reasons.

"I’m happy I get to inspire others because that’s what people have done for me," she explained. "I am so happy to be able to inspire others to have the self-confidence that it doesn’t matter what others think. You can be who you are and get great achievements while doing it."

The self-proclaimed Goth fashion lover also explained that with that yearbook photo, she finally felt like she could express herself truly. "I finally met people who encouraged me to just be myself and not always be a people pleaser," she said. "I should really just express myself the way I want, regardless of what others would think of me. If I’m pleasing others, then it’s not making me happy. Is it really worth it?" It’s not, because, in the end, you’re not going to be able to make those people happy because you’re not happy."

She added that her personal style alternates between grungy and gothic but she doesn't dress the same every day. "I don’t like to put myself into a specific category," she elaborated. "I just dress the way I want to. I just wanted to break the stereotype. I know a lot of people think that people who dress more alternatively slack off. I feel like that’s very opposite and I was able to break that boundary." However, her high school life wasn't a cakewalk as she struggled with mental health issues and had to take time off from school.

"I thought that I was never going to be able to get back on track with my academics," she explained. "It turned out to be quite the opposite. It motivated me to try even harder and it brought me to the position that I am in now. I’m very grateful for the fact that I was able to come this far." She proved that her Goth aesthetic preferences had no impact on her educational success.