By Dan Murphy
Congratulations to this year’s valedictorian and salutatorian from Yonkers Montessori Academy High School, Jennifer Medina and Alexis Steadman.
Valedictorian Jennifer Medina will graduate with a 98.62 grade-point average. Her favorite educator is math (geometry, trigonometry, calculus) teacher Irina Morgunova, because “she has such a lovely, pleasant personality and she really pushed me to do well in one of my least favorite subjects.”
Medina’s favorite subject is English because, “I love reading and learning about the techniques and messages that writers use,” she said. Medina has completed eight advanced placement and College Link courses at YMA, and her extracurricular and volunteer work includes writing for the school newspaper The Freedom Post, and volunteering at her church, St. Lucy’s, since 2014, and for the March of Dimes.
Medina applied to several local colleges, including Sarah Lawrence, Mercy, Iona, Pace, Columbia, Hunter College and Lehman College. She will be attending Lehman College (City University of New York) as a prestigious Macaulay honors student in the fall.
“Lehman gave me the best opportunity and a full scholarship, and I felt they were completely supportive of me attending their school,” she said.
Medina said she hopes to graduate with a degree in English literature with a minor in communications. She then may pursue a master’s degree and plans on using her education to become a book editor and continue her love of writing and words.
Medina thanked her parents for getting to this point of success in her life. “My parents always instilled the importance of education in my life,” she said.
Her sister, xxxx xxxxx, was valedictorian of YMA in 2014, so the Medina education and work ethic runs strong.
Her advice to young students is: “While failure is inevitable, it is temporary. There is always an opportunity to overcome any obstacle and learn from your challenges.”
Salutatorian Alexis Steadman will graduate with a 96 percent GPA. Her favorite teachers are Mr. Harmon in math, Mr. Coyle in history, and Ms. Berkowitz in English Xxxxx. “They all pushed me to do my best and always told me, ‘Yes, you can do it,’” she said.
Steadman is also a big reader and most enjoyed her English and AP English classes. “My dad got me into reading, and reading allows me to escape in a good book and relax,” she said.
It’s interesting to note that both Medina and Steadman prefer a traditional hard cover book to a Kindle or Nook. “I’m more connected to a physical book,” said Steadman, who keeps a library of her books at her home.
Steadman has completed six AP and College Link courses, and has participated in Art Club, fundraisers for YMA, and as part of Intercession – unique to only Montessori students – Steadman took a trip to San Francisco to help and serve the homeless population, cleaning a local parish and a city park. She has also volunteered in the Yonkers parks department.
She applied to SUNY Delphi, Florida State, and the University of South Florida at Tampa, and will be attending the University of South Florida at Tampa, which coincides with her family moving south later this year.
At the University of South Florida-Tampa, Steadman will study science and will major in animal biology. She said she hopes to become a veterinarian and have her own clinic one day. “I only decided to become a vet one year ago, to try and save some animals,” she said. “I will be going to school close to Busch Gardens, so maybe I can volunteer with some of the bigger animals, which will make the dogs and cats seem less scary.”
Steadman thanked her parents and her teachers for “always pushing me and giving me the confidence to do it. I’m very grateful to them,” she said. Her advice to young students is: “Stay away from negative people. They will try to bring you down in life.”
Both Medina and Steadman have participated in the Montessori system of learning at YMA and both credit the school for their success.
“YMA is such a close-knit group and school community,” said Medina. “Everyone knows each other, from the students to the teachers to the staff, and everyone is friendly and has respectful relationships.”
