Meghan O’Brien has always had a worldly curiosity, but she hopes she’ll be able to do some real-life exploring when she goes off to college.

O’Brien, who will be honored as valedictorian and will speak at Delta Charter High School’s graduation ceremonies May 28, plans to study abroad as a student at Sonoma State University beginning in the fall. Her major will be global studies, and she’s crossing her fingers that her studies will take her to Ireland, where her family has roots.

Someday, she said, she hopes to work for the Peace Corps and then follow a path that involves traveling. In addition to Ireland, she wants to visit Morocco, Egypt, New Zealand and Australia.

O’Brien transferred to rural Delta Charter from Tracy High School in her junior year, saying that she felt more comfortable in a small school. Since transferring, she has become involved in the Associated Student Body council, leadership, the speech and debate team, Academic Decathlon and yearbook.

While she said she enjoyed her time at Tracy High, O’Brien said she thrived after arriving at Delta Charter, where she said she got to know her teachers better and took a more active role in her education.

“It’s exciting to kind of go off and do my own thing,” she said. “During high school, I kind of got into the history thing and being aware of other peoples’ cultures, and that’s pretty much what global studies is.”

Meet Meghan O’Brien

• Age: 18

• How long in Tracy: Lifelong resident

• GPA: 3.9

• Achievement: Valedictorian at Delta Charter High School

• College: Sonoma State University