Saturday, June 14, 2025
Valedictorian Madison Moore and salutatorian Shehreyar Ahmad — who have demonstrated unwavering dedication, academic excellence and a passion for personal growth — will lead Oceanside High School’s graduating class of 2025.
Both students recently reflected on their journeys, motivations and experiences that shaped their high school careers.
“My parents are very, have a very good work ethic, and they always just taught me,” Moore shared. “I always wanted to be proud of the work that I put in. I think that that’s what led me to keep trying to aim for success and keep trying to push myself more and more.”
Both students credited their success to strong parental support and personal drive. Moore, who will attend the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce, highlighted her passion for mathematics and her parents’ work ethic as key motivators.
Ahmad, who’s heading to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he will study pre-med biology, emphasized his mother’s encouragement and his own desire to excel academically.
Their high school careers have been marked by extensive extracurricular involvement. Moore was active in DECA, a club that prepares students for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management and was a passionate soccer player becoming involved with Oceanside United Soccer Club’s Teaching Soccer to Kids with Disabilities program, while Ahmad participated in World Leaders Club, Ethics Bowl and student government. Both maintained impressive academic records while working part-time jobs.
Family roots and ambitions
Ahmad’s journey includes a major transition — moving back to the United States during the Covid-19 pandemic after spending six years in Pakistan.
“I was born here, and I lived here for seven years,” he explained. “And then, end of first grade, my parents wanted to go back to family, reconnect, so we moved there. I lived there for six years — from the beginning of second grade to the end of seventh — and they’d been wanting to move back. We ended up deciding in 2020, then Covid and all that happened. But luckily, we all came up here safe, and I’m really happy and fortunate that it all happened.”
Moore, whose parents both work together as textile designers based in Farmingdale, attributed their unique profession for her sense of creativity and discipline.
Math played a large role for both
Both Moore and Ahmad pointed to their love of math as a key factor in their academic growth and the teachers who nurtured that passion.
“I’ve always really loved math because I think that math kind of gets a bad rap sometimes,” Moore said. “I liked that there was always a solution, but there’s different ways to find the solution. So it was kind of like almost my mentality for everything, not just math.”
For Ahmad, teacher James A. Smith made a strong impression on him, even though he never was a student in his class.
“I never had him as a teacher, but I’ve been in his club, mathletes, since freshman year,” Ahmad said. “I’ve always just found mathletes to be fun and welcoming, and Mr. Smith was very nice and very accommodating, too. I learned a lot of stuff that was ahead of the curriculum and also got to do math competitions.”
Well-rounded lives beyond the classroom
Outside the classroom, both students have taken on a wide range of extracurricular activities that reflect their leadership and curiosity. Ahmad has served in the student government since his sophomore year.
“I was the class treasurer, sophomore and junior year, and now I’m vice president,” he said, adding that he also works part-time. “I’ve been working for the past few years at Checkers as a cashier, and also over the summer at the beach with my friends and all that.”
Moore, meanwhile, found her niche in athletics and business.
“There are so many different clubs offered at this school, so I kind of dabbled in everything,” she said. “But I think the most prominent club is probably DECA, which is our business club. I am currently the vice president of competition.”
She has played soccer since kindergarten and still plays defense on the high school’s varsity team.
As for their career paths, Moore plans to pursue finance, and Ahmad aims to become a physician. Both expressed excitement about their upcoming college experiences and gratitude for Oceanside High School’s supportive environment.
According to Moore, the key to success: “Do the best you can, and don’t waste your own potential, because everyone has so much potential,” she said.
Oceanside High School will celebrate the students’ achievements at the upcoming commencement ceremony on June 23 on the High School football field.
