Sewanhaka High School has named Mohammad Samroz as the Class of 2017 valedictorian and Jessica Hernandez as the salutatorian.
Samroz will graduate as the top ranked student in his class with a 102.25 grade point average and an Advanced Regents Diploma with Mastery in math and science. In addition to his academic accolades, he has been a student leader within the school community. He is the vice president of Model United Nations, the editor-in-chief for The Chieftain school newspaper, has been a captain of the varsity volleyball team, president of Science Olympiad and president of the Science National Honor Society.
These are just a few of the many leadership roles and responsibilities undertaken by Samroz outside of the classroom. This past summer, he participated in the Great Neck Breast Cancer Coalition Students and Scientists Research Program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He has won 30 academic awards as a student at Sewanhaka including the George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences medal, National AP Scholar recognition, Questbridge National College Match finalist, National Merit Scholarship Program Commended Student, Rutgers University Model United Nations Outstanding Delegation and Long Island Science Congress Achievement Recognition.
Hernandez has earned a 101.19 grade point average while taking a rigorous academic course load. She has been an involved leader in the community. On the athletic field, she served as a captain on the junior varsity and varsity volleyball teams. She is also musically talented and has been a member of the school marching band for four years. As the co-president of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), she helped organize Red Ribbon Week, which spread awareness around the school of the consequences of substance abuse. She is also a member of the school’s Talented and Gifted program.
In addition to her academic achievements, Jessica has been an avid volunteer at the Pets4Luv Foundation, a local animal shelter. She is also the recipient of a number of awards while at Sewanhaka, including, but not limited to, Gold in the National Spanish Exam and The Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award for Humanities and Social Sciences from the University of Rochester. Hernandez is a member of the National, Science and World Language honor societies.
In the fall, she plans to major in biomedical engineering, but has yet to decide what college she will be attending.
