Riverside High School Valedictorian Francis Andre Loquellano and Salutatorian Zoe Manalo
By Dan Murphy
This week we highlight the academic achievements of Riverside High School Valedictorian Francis Andre Loquellano and Salutatorian Zoe Manalo.
Loquellano will graduate with a 99.25 percent grade-point average and his favorite course is English, because “most of the time our English courses here at Riverside are applied with our science and math work. It also provides a creative outlet for me,” he said.
Loquellano said his favorite educators are math teacher Mr. Esposito, computer science teacher Mr. Fanek, and English teacher Ms. Youhan, because, “they all made their classes fun and exciting. I enjoyed going to their class every day.” He said.
Loquellano has completed six advanced placement and college level courses at Riverside. His extracurricular activities include volunteering with the Riverside Young Veterans Club, which interacts with veterans locally and across the country by writing holiday cards for troops; holding fundraisers to purchase wreaths for Arlington National Cemetery; providing toiletries and food for homeless veterans; and having veterans from Yonkers speak at their school.
He is also a member of the National Honors Society and the National Tech Honors Society. In his free time, Loquellano enjoys making music, writing, and art.
Loquellano applied to about a dozen colleges, including New York University, Fordham, SUNY New Paltz and Albany, CUNY Baruch and Hunter. He was accepted to Albany, New Paltz, Baruch and Hunter, and is finalizing his decision on which to attend. He plans to major in computer science and said he hopes to pursue a career in the field of information technology.
Loquellano received the Smalley Foundation Scholarship, established in 1966 and available only to public high school seniors in Worcester, Mass., and Yonkers.
Loquellano came to the United States from the Philippines as an only child with his family when he was 8. They started their American journey in Illinois, then moved to New Hampshire, and settled in Yonkers when Loquellano was 16. He has spent the last three years of his high school career at Riverside.
He said parents helped him achieve the academic achievement. “They made sure I was on top of my game and pushed me harder,” said Loquellano. His close friends at Riverside, including Salutatorian Zoe Manalo, also helped him get through high school with honors, he said.
Loquellano’s advice for younger students is: “You can achieve what you want if you try hard and dedicate your time to it. Go for it!”
Manalo will graduate with a 95.92 percent GPA. English is also her favorite subject at Riverside, because, “We have more of a say and we pick the topics and books for the classwork, which is geared toward us and makes it more interesting,” she said.
Manalo said her favorite teachers are Ms. Youhan in English, Ms. Garofalo in Spanish, Mr. Esposito in math and Mr. Fanek in computer science. “They are all like family and my best friends,” she said. “They try to make me the best person I can be.”
In addition to several AP courses and college-level coursework, Manalo is enrolled in the P-Tech program at Westchester Community College, where she takes courses at CC, including political science and business communications this semester. Her extra-curricular activities include the Photography Club, Yearbook Club, and four different honors societies.
Manalo applied to the Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY Buffalo, Hofstra, Alfred, and the School of Art Institute in Chicago, where she has decided to attend. “I want to pursue a career in photography and I have family in Chicago,” she said.
Manalo, who has four siblings, received a scholarship to pay for half of the cost of tuition, as well as room and board, and is continuing to look for additional scholarships.
While Manalo is self-motivated, she gives her parents credit for “not telling me what to do. They didn’t pressure me and gave me more room to grow,” she said. Her close friends at Riverside and her coworkers at Starbucks at Ridge Hill have also helped her achieve.
Manalo’s advice for young students is: “Have fun in high school and don’t get caught up only in your grades. You don’t want to look back and regret not doing other things.”
Both Zoe and Francis enjoyed their Riverside High School experiences because their teachers made it great and because “the teachers made in an interesting experience with each class playing a part of the whole,” they said.
Congratulations!
