After years of hard work and dedication, friends Maylani Lee and Catherine Ibrahim have been named Valedictorian and Salutatorian, respectively. The pair have been friends since the seventh grade and both boast impressive accomplishments such as earning the Harvard Book Award, receiving the Rensselaer Medal Award, having artwork displayed at the Art Supervisors Association All County Art Exhibit, receiving the AP Honor of Distinction, and the greatest achievement of all according to Maylani, passing physics.
Maylani, our class of 2024 Valedictorian, has been an integral part of the Wantagh High School community, participating in the class club, stage crew, multiple honor societies, student government, science olympiads, varsity tennis, and many more extracurricular organizations. She states she is particularly proud of earning the AP Capstone diploma “It really is no joke when they say that those two courses [AP Seminar and AP Research] are some of the most challenging you can ever take in high school” she says. Having her picture taken with her teachers, classmates, and friends “really was a great way to end the capstone experience.” Maylani is known for her hard work in academia, but earning such high recognition for academic achievements is another level of special. “It makes me feel extremely accomplished to have my work recognized in such a way because taking all of these classes definitely wasn’t easy,” she continues, “there were times that doing all of that work felt almost pointless, but coming out the other side with this level of recognition is a feeling like no other.”
Catherine, the class of 2024 Salutatorian is another imperative member of the school community, participating in Science Olympiads, three honor societies, two varsity sports, the chamber orchestra, and organizations through her church. Catherines proudest academic achievement was receiving the Rensselaer Medal Award, an honor awarded to students showing excellence in STEM, Catherine’s favorite academic genre. “I was happy to be recognized for it,” she says, “It was nice knowing a STEM-oriented school like RPI thought I was the right person to give their award to.”
Both Maylani and Catherine expressed the joy it brought them to be named top two with each other. Maylani says “Sharing top two with Catherine really makes the whole experience so much sweeter.” Both Maylani and Catherine both credit each other as imperative factors in getting where they are: “Catherine and I have gone through high school together and between helping each other with homework and just going from class to class together throughout these past few years makes me really grateful that I have someone like her I know I can rely on. In the end it was kind of a team effort and I’m really grateful that we get to share something so meaningful” said Maylani. Catherine mirrored this sentiment, saying “I’ve seen her hard work through the years and it makes me proud because she really deserves it. Going through the process together has made it so much more fun and exciting and I’m so grateful to be able to do it with her.”
Maylani and Catherine wish to express their gratitude to their teachers and friends who stood by them for the last four years and help them get where they are. The Wantagh community, as their teachers and friends, send our congratulations to Maylani and Catherine and the best of luck in their promising futures.