Meet the Riverside High School’s 2018 Valedictorian Maria Salazar and Salutatorian Dariana Colon.
Salazar will graduate next month with a 98.35 percent grade-point average. Her favorite subject is English and her favorite educator is English teacher Kirk Bauer. Salazar, who enjoys reading and writing, has been at Riverside H.S. – and this country – for only two years after her family immigrated from Venezuela.
“I was a good student in Venezuela, but the situation there got bad, so my parents decided to move here to give a better future to me and my brother,” said Salazar, who started learning English in Venezuela at the age of 7. “We lived with friends for a while before settling in.”
Salazar became valedictorian because of hard work, which included staying after school and accepting the extra help offered by many of her teachers. Mr. Bauer “is amazing, funny, smart, and I admire him,” she said. Salazar also mentioned geometry teacher Mr. Boscia, who “is inspiring and teaches us not only about geometry, but about life.”
Salazar said she feels fortunate to attend Riverside. “Everyone gives you a lot of support and they want the best for you,” she said.
She has completed two College Link courses and is a member of the Yearbook Committee, the National Honors Society, and volunteers at a local church volunteering in the day care center. Salazar applied to six colleges, including Bard College, Franklyn & Marshall, LaFayette University, Lehigh college, and a few CUNY colleges. She was accepted to Bard and Staten Island College, and will be attending Bard college in the fall.
Located north on the Hudson River in Annendale, Bard offered Salazar “a good scholarship with full tuition paid for. I also received $10,000 per year to help pay for the other expenses and I’m hoping to get other scholarships to help pay,” she said.
Bard’s room and board is more than $60,000 per year.
Salazar plans to study international relations and said she hopes to work at the United Nations. “I am inspired to help people in other nations with human rights,” she said. Salazar speaks Spanish and French, which can help her serve others around the world.
Her words of wisdom for future valedictorians? “All of your hard work has got you to this point, but it doesn’t end yet,” she said. “You still have more work to do, but at the end it will be worth it.”
She thanked her family for “moving to America and leaving everything behind for a better future.”
Salutatorian Dariana Colon, who will graduate with a 95.33 percent GPA, said her favorite subject is science and her favorite educators are English teacher Ms. Botman, geometry teacher Mr. Doczynski, and Earth science teacher Mr. Stavrides.
“Ms. Botman helped push me and got me to pass the English regents,” said Colon. “Mr. Stravides helped me with all my new work and taught me how to learn.” Mr. Doczynski, “was funny; I liked his class,” she said. “He’s good at explaining geometry, and has patience.”
Colon came to this country, and Yonkers, one year ago and has spent her junior and senior years of high school at Riverside. “I left my mom and younger brothers in the Dominican Republic so I could have a better opportunity to study,” she said. “I began to live with my dad here in Yonkers. My entire life and friends were in the DR, and I miss my mom, but I know it’s the best for my future.”
Colon returns to the DR during the summers.
Her extra-curricular activities include the Gateway Fashion Club and volunteering with her church, Primera Espanol, where she works as a Conquistador in the pathfinders program.
Colon said she wanted to stay close to home for college, so she applied to Westchester Community College, Manhattan College, Mercy, Pace, Mt. Saint Vincent, and the College of Westchester. She was accepted to WCC, Mercy, Manhattan and the College of Westchester, and plans to attend Manhattan College, where she received a scholarship to help pay for two-thirds of the $36,000 yearly tuition. She will study from home.
Colon said she hopes to become a medical examiner and plans to study forensics, which she became interested in during her senior year. “I like science and I’m taking forensic science this year,” she said. “I like to examine the body and I would like to help those people who want answers about their loved ones.”
Colon thanked her family for getting to this point of success in her life. “My mom and dad have helped me a lot, and my fad helps me by making sure I’m not scared and to give me confidence that I can do anything,” she said.
Colon’s advice to other young students is: “Sometimes changes can give you better opportunities. Continue to work hard; this is not the end but just the beginning.”
