LHS Valedictorian Sophia Fortuniewicz and Salutatorian Kyle Macancela
By Dan Murphy
Congratulations to 2024 Lincoln High School Valedictorian Sophia Fortuniewicz and Salutatorian Kyle Macancela. Valedictorian Sophia Fortuniewicz will graduate with a 97.92 GPA. One of her favorite teachers is Accounting teacher Drilon Gojani. “He taught me the most and helped me become more comfortable with myself. He also helped me work when I didn’t want to.”
Sophia’s favorite subject is AP Biology. “We have a lot of interesting labs, and I enjoyed learning in peer groups.”
One of Sophia’s extra-curricular activities was her work in Peer Mediation. “If students have an issue with one another, they will talk about what was going on and we would try to work towards a solution and help avoid something physical happening.” She also played on the Varsity Softball team.
Accepted to all 8 colleges she applied to, Sophia decided to attend Marist College in the fall. “Marist has a unique campus experience and college community. It’s not too big where you can get lost, but not too small, so you can meet new people. There are also a lot of career opportunities and internships.
Plus, the location on the Hudson River (Poughkeepsie) is great.”
Sophia hopes to earn a Doctorate in Psychology and become a clinical psychologist. “I learned through peer mediation that I appreciate helping people in their interpersonal relationships. It has always been interesting to me.”
Who helped her achieve this honor? “My friends the most. When it came to being motivated, they encouraged me and helped keep me on track. Without them I wouldn’t be here.”
Sophia has been ranked #1 since her junior year. “I wasn’t aiming for Valedictorian, but I have been aware of the rankings.”
Advice to hopeful valedictorians? “Balance is the key to success and happiness. You are allowed to say no to things you don’t want to do, but don’t deny yourself the opportunity to grow and learn.”
Lincoln High School Salutatorian Kyle Macancela will graduate with a 96% GPA. One of his favorite teachers is Science Research Teacher Mrs. Howard. “She has been my teacher since middle school. She has always been like a second mother to me and gives good advice. She has always been there for me.”
Kyle’s favorite subject is Physics. “We have a lot of labs and the interaction with other people builds relationships.”
One of Kyle’s extra-curricular activities was in the National Science Honors Society, English Honors Society, and serving as vice-president of Lincoln High School’s Rho Kappa. “I was able to get scholarships and boosted my growth.”
Kyle will be attending Manhattan College in the fall. “I got a full scholarship, and my dad pushed me to this idea, to have an impact on society. It’s kind of a service to him for being a great dad.”
He will study Engineering at Manhattan and become a mechanical engineer. “My family as a whole always had high expectations for me, and I wanted to meet those.”
“When we came back from COVID, I began to look at my rankings, and I pushed myself to be #2.”
Sophia and Kyle have known each other for a long time, since Pre-K. “We both took the same AP classes and have a long history,” said Kyle.
Any advice to future scholars? “Do not procrastinate. It won’t help you in the future.”
