By Janie Rosman
While sciences are his favorite subjects, Tuckahoe High School Salutatorian Vito Marcoccia prefers to build things.
“This year, in my physics class, my friend Brian and I built the tallest tower (in our class) just using tape and paper,” he said, indicating the height with his arm. Earlier this month, he and THS Valedictorian Jessica Berger discussed their high school years and future plans with Rising Media.
The Manhattan College Class of 2022 member said he got a jump start by taking advanced placement chemistry and history during his junior year at THS, and AP calculus, computer science and physics during his senior year.
Berger also favored sciences like AP chemistry and AP biology, and plans to study pre-med. “Right now my major is biochemistry at the University of Michigan,” she said. “I chose it because of its medical school, and I liked the atmosphere there.”
She applied to SUNY Binghamton, SUNY Stony Brook, Northeastern University, Northwestern University, and University of Connecticut, among others, and was accepted into all. “What I looked for was great academics and an awesome sports atmosphere,” she said.
While her plans include studying medicine, Berger is keeping her options open. “Right now I’m interested in dermatology and plastic surgery (as) my mom is a nurse practitioner and was in transplant for about 20 years and in oncology,” she said.
With help from a family friend who is a plastic surgeon, Berger spent a day with him in the operating room. She interned during the last part of her senior year at New York-Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville doing rotations.
Marcoccia sent applications to Binghamton, Stony Brook, Villanova University, Stevens Institute of Technology and Fairfield University, and chose Manhattan “because I want to study engineering, and the school has a really good engineering program.” Another attraction was proximity. “I plan to dorm there, and since it’s close, I can come home,” he said.
He would like to follow in his mother’s path. “She’s an engineer, (but) that’s not what made me decide to study this,” he said. “Rather, I like to build things. I still have to work out which branch of engineering and am thinking about chemical or computer.”
He’ll have the opportunity during freshman year to sample every area of engineering and then decide where to concentrate his major. Then again, he said, “I also like business and may minor in that, or sports management.”
Reflecting on the recent past, Marcoccia cited homework as a least favorite pastime. “I’m not a big homework person and would procrastinate until the night before, and then I’d stay up late hours,” he said. “Homework is the same everywhere, yet aside from that, Tuckahoe, the community, is great. The teachers really do care, and you get that small-school feeling.”
“I agree (with Vito) about the homework, yet now we’re on cruise control,” Berger added. “I had friends who went to other schools like The Ursuline School, and it seemed they didn’t have as much homework.”
Marcoccia offset the workload with participation on the soccer team, golf team, bowling team, band, jazz band, science Olympiad and debate team.
“We had to get dressed up and go to public forums,” he recalled. “It was a great experience and involved research, too, which also led to staying up late at night. Science Olympiad was a club, and we designed things with a partner. My friend Brian and I designed a helicopter that flew and entered it into a competition.”
They followed their own advice to undergraduate students.
“It’s important to keep your grades up, make sure you get your homework done, yet don’t lose focus and concentrate only on school work,” said Marcoccia. “Keep a balance between school and spending time with your friends, relaxing and having fun.”
Nodding in agreement about maintaining a balance, Berger added: “Get involved with clubs. Something you learned in school may apply to one of the clubs. I joined softball, volleyball, band, chorus, tech crew, working on the yearbook and debate team. Join many clubs to see what you do and don’t like.”
