Valedictorians, salutatorians discuss life beyond Valley Stream

As Valley Stream’s seniors prepare to walk in their graduation ceremonies next week, the valedictorians and salutatorians sat down with the Herald to discuss their high school memories and their plans for the next phase of their lives.

Central High School

Valedictorian Jason Paz, 18, gained an appreciation for the challenges and rewards that a career in science presents during his time at Central High School. Science is a lot of work, he learned, but when it comes time to present his findings, “it feels great,” he said.

Paz picked up leadership skills through the Future Business Leaders of America club, and honed his public speaking technique, learning to speak with clarity and honesty rather than trying to impress judges.

He plans to attend Yale University, where he will study economics and biomedical engineering. He wants to work in the field of stem cell research and the development of articifial organ growth, he said. “There are a lot of ethical issues, but it will increase life expectancy and decrease mortality,” Paz said.

Tiffany Longarzo, 18, is Central’s salutatorian. She was accepted to the Honors College at St. John’s University, where she plans to study to be an actuary. She is also considering studying risk management. Being an actuary — someone who analyzes the financial consequences of risk using math, statistics and financial theory — appeals to Longarzo because it’s a version of business professional that isn’t as competitive and cutthroat as the field tends to have a reputation for. “It’s a way of helping people in the business world,” she said.

Longarzo learned to love math at Central, where her math teachers showed her how consistent a discipline it is and cheered her on.

She also cherishes her experiences on the varsity softball team, which she joined in eighth grade. Her coach, Artie Riccio, “taught me a lot about being a loving person through his coaching style,” Longarzo said.

North High School

Thomas Elbert, 17, is his class’ valedictorian. He is bound for Georgetown University, where he plans to study in the School of Foreign Service. Elbert hopes to work in some capacity with the State Department or as an ambassador, and hopes to work to repair the image of the U.S., which he feels has “gotten a bad reputation for meddling” in other countries’ affairs. “We all have,” he said.

Elbert said he has always enjoyed reading about political leaders and wants to fulfill a sense of responsibility he feels to his country. Through his studies, he wants to focus on policy changes, he said.

Social studies teachers Kevin Gilchrist and Joseph Moniaci were big influences, he said, calling Moniaci a “walking textbook” and stating that he talks with Gilchrist every day about current events.

One of Elbert’s highlights of his high school years was his involvement with the Student Peer Organization, which he had to interview for to be accepted. Through the group he mentored younger students, teaching morals and helping with freshman orientation. He also visited elementary schools. He valued the opportunity to be connected to younger students and feel like one large student body, he said, regardless of age. “That’s what made North stand out to me,” he added.

Salutatorian Morgan Foster, 17, plans to attend Northeastern University, where she has been selected for the prestigious University Scholars Program. She plans to major in engineering, as she likes to see the practical application of math and enjoys problem solving. She also learned to love physics at North, where her teacher, Ms. Buchbaer, was enthusiastic about it, walked her through everything and exposed her classes to interesting experiments.

Foster will minor in music “because I can’t let music leave my life.” She played the French horn in the school band and joined the orchestra in her senior year, playing the bass. “The whole music department is a joy to be around,” she said when asked who most influenced her. “I can’t name just one.”

Foster also praised her principal, James Bolan, as very accessible, and lauded the school’s sense of community. “Everyone is a Spartan,” she said.

South High School

Valedictorian Allyce Yang, 17, is headed for a college experience that is as unique as her highly accomplished high school career. She plans to attend Minerva Schools at KGI, a prestigious and non-traditional four-year program that uses software to facilitate out-of-class learning through video-conferencing, which is followed by in-class focus on how to apply what was learned.

Yang is quick to acknowledge that the program might sound dubious, but stressed that it was founded by prominent academics who are blazing a new trail in academia. She was accepted to Ivy League schools but was excited by the prospect of Minerva. “The point of the college is to re-gear higher education,” Yang explained.

She plans to study natural science — either biology, ecology or neuroscience, or a combination — and is interested in pursuing work with conservation technology. “I love science fields that are growing,” she said, adding that she is interested in rebuilding natural environments.

Yang credited Spanish teacher Laura Pokorny and pre-calculus teacher Laura Santa-Maria with keeping her engaged and supporting her, and called both “very interesting people.”

She also noted the role that her participation in orchestra had in her high school experience. She has played viola since she was 11 and met her best friend in orchestra. “It gave me direction and reminded me of who I was,” Yang said.

Salutatorian Ashton Dacon, 17, plans to attend MIT as a biochemistry major, and is considering a minor in either literature or computer science. “I love kids, so I want to write children’s books,” he said.

The course work he is considering would prepare him for balancing a science career with being a children’s author in the age of computers, he figured.

Dacon joined the school’s cross country team in 10th grade, and showed up to his first practice late. His coach came down hard on him, he remembered, but it was tough love, and he learned to appreciate it. He learned how to be independent and self-reliant in the process, he said.

As he faces the future, Dacon ascribes to a principled philosophy: “We may not know where we’re going,” he said, “but we have to do what’s right.”