Southwestern Valedictorian headed to Marian with goal of helping people reach their potential

Despite all the rewrites, Tanna Tatlock was confident the graduation day speech she submitted was the final edition.

The Southwestern High School Class of 2025 Valedictorian was wrong.

“It was completely my fault and I felt bad,” said Tatlock. “I had cut out about half of my speech. I had really shortened it down. I was sure it was the one I sent in so I didn’t need to re-read it.”

Tatlock realized very quickly on stage that something was not right.

“There was a point 30 seconds in, because I changed my introduction, when I realized it was not the right speech,” she said with a smile.

A standout athlete in three sports at Southwestern never panicked, though.

“Life goes on. Maybe God wanted me to read this speech,” she surmised. “I had a lot of compliments (on the speech). I just wrote from my heart what I wanted to say.”

Tatlock is less than one month away from moving onto campus at Marian University in Indianapolis. She will major in Chemistry with the goal of becoming a physician’s assistant or enrolling in Marian’s Osteopathic School to become a doctor.

“I’ve always loved helping people. I love seeing people reach their full potential,” said Tatlock. “When I learned Marian had a medical school, I looked into it. They have an Osteopathic Medical School that focuses more on the holistic practice. Healing the root of the problem, healing the body and the mind … everything at once. I really believe in that. I think that’s a good way to practice medicine, healing the person rather than just their symptoms.”

Tatlock has vivid early memories of her mom riding her bicycle to the library pulling a cart with her in it.

“We would ride up to the library every other day and pick out two books and I would read them,” recalled Tatlock. The process would repeat every couple of days.

Those kinds of memories give Tatlock reservations about the commitment of medical school. She knows she would be perfectly content being a stay-at-home mother, as her mother was for several years.

“I’m a big family person. My dream career would be stay-at-home mom,” she said. “I have so many fond memories with (my mom) around all the time.”

Tatlock has played basketball most of her life and found success on the volleyball and tennis courts at Southwestern as well. She truly believes those experiences have helped shape her into the person she is today.

“Playing a team sport teaches you so much about who you are,” she said. “I love being in a leadership role. I love being somebody that can mentor other people.

“Had I not played a sport, I wouldn’t have realized how much I love being around people in general and helping people see what they are really good at. That has kind of led me to know I want to work in healthcare. I love being around people. I love engaging.”

Tatlock knows her life is changing drastically. No more summer workouts for multiple sports has provided more flexibility in her daily schedule.

“It is so crazy. I honestly miss it a lot,” she said. “I think I just miss the structure. I love sports. I love competitive atmospheres. I love being with people every single day and now I wake up at 11 o’clock. I’m not waking up at 6 a.m. to go practice.”

With that realization, Tatlock understands she is about to start all over at a new school as a freshman.

“I was talking with my mom the other day about how crazy it is that I am kind of starting over,” she said. “Freshman me now is not the freshman me I was four years ago. It’s kind of cool to think in four years as a senior, I will once again be thinking what was this girl doing.

“I am really excited to start this new chapter in my life.”

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