Rye Neck High School
Rye Neck School celebrated its 123rd Commencement on June 21. While the school band’s rendition of“Pomp and Circumstance” filled the sunny football field, families and friends cheered for the 122 graduating seniors from the bleachers. Rye Neck Superintendent Barbara Ferraro praised the class of 2018 for being “creative thinkers and problem solvers, who approach life with respect and kindness for all.”
Salutatorian Olivia Dunne, who is headed to the University of Chicago in the fall to pursue her interests in molecular engineering and biological sciences, noted that her class “epitomizes the concept of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.”
She was followed by her lifelong friend from kindergarten, the valedictorian Allie Liebmann, who will be attending Yale University to pursue her interests in math and science. She discussed the fact that she and her peers are embarking on a journey in a much larger world, yet “our generation, through technology, is connected to more people than ever before.”
In keeping with a tradition, the “Ten Years After” speaker series, the keynote speaker was a Rye Neck alum, Andoni Elias Nava, class of 2008. The inspiring filmmaker, who went on to earn his BFA in Film and Television from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and currently works on films, commercials, and music videos in Los Angeles, paid homage to Rye Neck by sharing the valuable lessons he learned there.
Rather than sugar coating the graduates’ futures, the alum discussed the reality of rejections and disappointments, as well as the importance of adapting and redefining the meaning of success along the way. “It’s up to you to decide what to make of life,” Nava said. “Hold on to the people you love most because that’s what it’s all about.”
Before Rye Neck High School Principal Tina Wilson presented the class of 2018, the Rye Neck Teachers’ Association Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Raven Parham for her effort, service, and leadership.
- Janice Fabry
CAPTIONS:
#3815 Superintendent Barbara Ferraro and Principal Tina Wilson with keynote speaker/alumnus Andoni Elias Nava
#3788 Salutatorian Olivia Dunne and Valedictorian Allie Liebmann
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The Graduates
Anne Emilie Alcin
Sabrina Angulo
Sara Caitlyn Aulfinger
Olivia Megan Beach
Paola Yamilett Becerra
Thomas Valentine Bermingham III
Charles Bigaouette
Francesco Branca Jr.
Lamont Bryant
Nina Josefine Buettner
Roman James Calcagni
Martina Caruso
Daniel Colman
Amanda Marie Colodro
Macy Marie Cooper
Beatrix Jane Cress
Brian Michael Cucchiara
Pedro Peter Cueto
Mahmoud Khaled Daas
Kathleen J. DaSilva
Stephen Henry Davis
Elizabeth Anastacia DeGeorge
Alexandra DeLaCruz
Colby Samuel Delarosa
Kristina Dignelli
Emily Rose DiLillo
Olivia Eleanor Dunne
Donovan Terrance Dunning
Emma Ray Finkenberg
Nicholas P. Fischer
Conor Michael Flood
Ryan J. Francavilla
Aidan Freyne
Celeste Cristal Fuentes-Muñoz
Donald Kenneth Fuentes Rios
Shogo Fukumoto
Benjamin Galerne
Matthew C. Galstian
Alexa Elizabeth Garcia
Zachary Gibbs
Sophie Rhiannon Gibson
Joshua Goldin McCarthy
Jessica L. Gottlieb
Gavin Judd Greenhill
Maya Rose Guagnini
Eikoh Hayashi
Aidan Heaton
Larissa Hodzic
Evelyn E. Hong
Daisy M. Jayson
Joosep E. Juhkam
Margaret Alexandra Kohler
Kayla Lorraine Laguerre-Lewis
Omar Armand Laguerre-Lewis
Kristina Ann Leira
Nicholas G. LeMoigne
Antonio Leone Jr.
Allie J. Liebmann
Conor J. Liguori
James D. Lord
Nathaniel Z. Lynch
Vincent Lawrence Marchione III
Ashlai Marquez
Eva Marsh
Olivia Margaret Martino
John Louis Masciopinto
Sean McCaffery
Anthony V. Miceli
Emily K. Michaels
William Daniel Morningstar
Yuri Nagafuchi
Alessia Novello
Mitchell Howard O’Brien
Margaret O’Malley
Genki Jay Ono
Christopher Ortiz
Raven D. Parham
Luka Peradze
Alana Nicole Proudian
Lucas D. Pukit
Alyssa Rainaldi
Derick Ramirez
Andrew Aaron Rayburn
Maya Sophie Richards
Yadira Rios
Gustavo Ivan Riquelme Zarate
Raymond Dennis Rivituso
Alicia Tatiana Rodriguez
Jackelyn Samantha Rosales
Rachel Yale Rubin
Kaylee Isabella Sanabria
Priscilla Crystal Sandoval
Nicolette Sansotta
Jessica D. Santoli
Marisa T. Santoli
Shikhar Premjeeth Saran
Julie Seljegard
Jessica Skye Sevean
Lindsey Sherman Sexton
John Matthew Christian Sheldon
Kenny Soriano
Ignacio M. Soto Vega
Nicholas R. Stenroos
Vanessa Stoeckhert
Keeley Stuff
Leo Swatski
Kevin J. Tamucci
Bennett Chapman Taylor
Rebecca R. Taylor
Ajaks Temali
Joseph Tenner
Dayanara Toledo-Camargo
Alexis L. Tufo
Aidan Michael Tuohy
Brendan Tuohy
Michael Vasquez
Sophia Lynn Wice
Griffin J. Wollowitz
Samantha G. Yannuzzi
Justen Yergo
Yolisma Zarate Vergel
April Zhang
Colleges They Will Attend
Bard College
Berklee College of Music
Bucknell University
California State University
Cedar Crest College
Champlain College
Colgate University
Colorado School of Mines
Concordia University
Cornell University
CUNY Baruch College
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
CUNY NYC College of Technology
Davidson College
Eastern Connecticut State University
Eckerd College
Fashion Institute of Technology
Fordham University
Georgetown University
Hamilton University
Indiana University at Bloomington
Iona College
Lafayette College
Manhattan College
McGill University
Miami University, Oxford
Muhlenberg College
College of New Rochelle
The New School
The Ohio State University
Olin College of Engineering
Pace University, NYC
Pennsylvania State University
Quinnipiac University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Sacred Heart University
Sarah Lawrence College
Siena College
Southern Methodist University
SUNY Albany
SUNY Binghamton
SUNY Cobleskill
SUNY Cortland
SUNY Maritime
SUNY New Paltz
SUNY Oneonta
SUNY Plattsburgh
SUNY Potsdam
SUNY Purchase
SUNY Stony Brook
Syracuse University
University of Arizona
University of California
University of Chicago
University of Connecticut
University of Delaware
University of Hartford
University of Maryland
University of Michigan
University of Notre Dame
University of Rhode Island
University of Wisconsin
Vassar College
Waseda University
Westchester Community College
Yale University
