Colin McCartney
Colin McCartney is the second son of Erin and Eric McCartney and the younger brother of Aidan. He is vice president of The National Honor Society, a member of The Spanish Honor Society, and a student representative for CDEP. He was part of Wallkill’s football, lacrosse, and basketball programs throughout high school. He was named captain for his lacrosse and basketball teams and earned All-American status in lacrosse.

Colin is extremely thankful for his family’s constant love and support. His parents always supported and encouraged him throughout his life. They always ensured he was doing fine mentally before concerning themselves with his performance in school or other activities. The constant support and love he received from his brother made him always feel appreciated. The pride his family uses when talking to others about him has always made his hard work feel worth it. He could not have reached this goal without overflowing support from his family.

Throughout high school, Colin has always strived to be successful. He has taken many honors, AP and college classes to make the most of his education. He has also been honored with Academic Excellence in Math, Science, Social Studies, English, Foreign Language and Technology. However, this would have been impossible without the spectacular teaching staff at Wallkill. They were always more than traditional teachers. They made him think creatively and visualize new solutions rather than telling him how it is always done. Their care for his well-being inside and outside the class was always greatly appreciated. Specifically, he would like to thank Mr. Pathania for helping him discover his interest in computer science.

In the fall, Colin wishes to study computer science at a high-level university and earn a master’s degree in the field. He will use the university’s resources to widen his knowledge of the subject. He is particularly interested in artificial intelligence and cyber security. He wishes to create technology in a way that is ethical and beneficial to the user, not just the company. Likewise, he will inspire others in his field to do the same.

While Colin is eager to experience the new opportunities awaiting him at college, he will miss his friends at Wallkill. He cherishes every memory he has created with the amazing people at Wallkill. The good and bad will always be remembered because they have shaped him into the person he is today. Most importantly, the support he received from his friends and peers was necessary for him to reach this goal. It will be incredibly hard for him to say goodbye, but they will always be with him in his heart. No matter where he goes and who he meets, he will never forget the love he received at Wallkill.

Joseph (J.J.) Wagner
Joseph (J.J.) Wagner is the only child of Joe and Agnes Wagner. He is very appreciative of his parents as they have provided him with the best childhood one could ask for. Joseph’s aunt was like another parent figure, always playing with and sparking his curiosity in the sciences. Joseph attended Bishop Dunn Memorial School, a Pre-K to eighth grade private school. This school provided him with an excellent work ethic, educational foundation, and open-minded character that allowed him to excel in high school.

After eighth grade, Joseph and his parents decided for him to attend Wallkill Senior High School, a large jump going from a class of 26 to 260. While Covid made this transition difficult, Joseph would eventually find his place in high school and make some great friends. Through his time at Wallkill Senior High School, Joseph has learned many different types of lessons: academic, social, athletic, etc.

Outside of the classroom Joseph has been involved in many extracurricular activities, including National Honor Society, Science Club, Varsity Cross Country, and Varsity Tennis. He is grateful to all the teachers, coaches, staff, and administrators that have been kind and knowledgeable, making his high school experience special. In Cross Country, Coach Mancuso, and Coach McLaud taught him the importance of giving 100% of one’s effort. Mr. Higby always made the tennis season special. Joseph will always remember Mr. Higby’s unmatched personality and straightforwardness. Mr. Pathania played an instrumental role in guiding Joseph through his Senior year; he helped Joseph find his passion in electrical engineering and explained the importance of sustainability in our day-to-day lives to help our environment. Because of him Joseph was able to obtain certificates and course credit from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Ever since middle school, Joseph would play tennis at Sportsplex in New Windsor. Amazing coaches like Matt, Mark and Guillermo have had an enormous impact on him, teaching valuable lessons that he wouldn’t have received in school. With the help of these coaches, Joseph made it onto the “1000” ball club banner, a nice achievement for Joseph as he practiced towards it for so long. Now, Joseph works at Sportsplex as both a Lifeguard and Tennis Instructor.

Joseph is still waiting to hear from several colleges and universities. Once he receives their feedback, he plans to choose the best college to study Electrical Engineering or Computer Science. Joseph’s motto is “Take big risks and believe in yourself and follow your dreams”- Nathan Fielder. Only by doing this can one achieve their full potential and leave the best mark they can on the world. Joseph is enormously proud and thankful to be the Salutatorian. He is excited to see all the great achievements that the Class of 2023 will accomplish.

Mia Ferrante
Mia Ferrante is the daughter of Nicholas and Jennifer Ferrante and the younger sister of college junior Nicholas Ferrante. Mia is incredibly grateful for the love and support her parents have given her throughout her years of primary and secondary education. They have helped provide her with the tools necessary for an extremely successful high school career. Mia would also like to give huge thanks to all the teachers and staff who have inspired her and challenged her to keep stretching to the limits of her potential. They have had an extremely profound impact on her, and she will remember them always.

During her four years at Wallkill Senior High School, Mia participated in numerous clubs and organizations. She became a Student Government officer during her freshman year and rose to the rank of Student Government Vice President as a senior. Mia is a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, and participated in the science club throughout her high school years – all while playing third base for the Wallkill Senior High School varsity softball team. Lastly, Mia became the student representative for the comprehensive district educational committee and a member of the Athletes Helping Athletes mentoring program during her senior year. Outside of school, Mia is a manager at a local ice cream stand and participates in Rubik’s cube competitions. When not in school or working, Mia enjoys writing, reading, and playing guitar.

Currently, Mia is undecided about which university she will attend. In college, she plans to pursue a major in either math or computer science, with a minor in creative writing and English literature. Mia wishes to study abroad in college and travel as much as possible; she hopes to experience various places and cultures around the globe. She is extremely excited for her next chapter in life and hopes to succeed in whichever endeavors she sets her mind to. Mia is exceedingly appreciative of all the skills Wallkill Senior High School has given her that she can utilize as she continues forward into her future. Finally, Mia wants to congratulate the class of 2023 and thank them for giving her a high school experience she will forever cherish.

Lillian Glembocki
Lillian (Lily) Glembocki is the daughter of Alex and Rebecca Glembocki and the younger sister of Emma. She would like to thank her parents and sister for the unfaltering guidance, support, and love that got her to where she is today. Without it, Lily wouldn’t have been as successful academically or have the courage to achieve her goals and pursue her dreams.

During her time at Wallkill Senior High School, Lily has been a part of multiple academic and extracurricular activities that have helped her grow as an individual. She has played the alto saxophone in the Wind Ensemble for four years and is grateful for the friends, laughter, and family the Wallkill Music Department has given her. In addition to her time spent in the band room, Lily has taken Wallkill’s engineering pathway, Project Lead the Way. She is grateful for the knowledge and experience accumulated over her high school career from taking these classes. They have guided her in choosing to further study mechanical engineering in college.

Outside of school, Lily gives back to her community through the Leo Club and the National Honor Society. As president of the Leo Club, she has learned leadership and pride for her school and community. In addition, Lily has participated in cross country and softball and attributes her love of fitness to her time playing these sports.

Following high school, Lily will be attending the University of Central Florida in Orlando with the hopes of becoming a mechanical engineer for Disney World. Although saddened by the little time left in Wallkill, Lily is excited for the new chapter in her life and owes all her future success to her family, friends and teachers who have helped her along the way. She would like to congratulate and wish her fellow classmates of the class of 2023 the best of luck and happiness in their futures.

Kiran Simon
Kiran Simon is the eldest son of Sapana Panday and Ken Simon and the older brother of Mayah Simon. He would like to thank his parents for supporting him throughout his life and instilling him with values like the importance of work ethic. Additionally, he would like to thank Mr. Pathania and Mrs. Pelosa for challenging him academically and pushing him to be a better student and person.

Throughout high school, Kiran has taken the most academically rigorous courses Wallkill offers, including several AP and college-level classes. Additionally, he has participated in several extracurricular activities throughout his time at Wallkill Senior High. He is a member of the National Honor Society, as well as the Science Club, and plays lead trumpet in the Wallkill Jazz Ensemble. He also plays trumpet in bands outside of high school, including the Hudson Valley Youth Jazz Orchestra. He also ran his own independent research project studying correlations between HIV and Acute Appendicitis under the guidance of a professor from Brown University.

Outside of academics, Kiran has also participated in several sports throughout high school. Kiran runs on the cross-country team during the fall and qualified for the MHAL championship. Then, in the winter, he runs Indoor track and field, where he qualified for the sectional championship. Finally, in the spring, he runs outdoor track and field, where he again qualified for the sectional championship. Kiran’s participation in extracurricular activities has allowed him to explore his intellectual and creative passions, and he is extremely grateful for being provided with those opportunities.

In the fall, Kiran will attend the University of Chicago, where he plans to study biology with a possible minor in business. He is extremely excited for what the future holds, and he wishes the best of luck to the Class of 2023 in all their future endeavors.

Marco Martini
Marco Martini is the son of Carolyn and Jude Martini and a sibling of Jude, Luke, and Lea. He is blessed to have a supportive family and older siblings that set the bar high for him. In addition, he is highly thankful to Mr. Masopust, Mrs. Chun and Mrs. Sanchez and all his friends who have molded him into the person he is today. He specifically credits his high school wrestling coach, Anthony Ng, who has always supported him on and off the mat and instilled a ruthless work ethic within him.

Throughout high school, Marco was no stranger to holding various leadership positions and distinguishing himself from his peers within the different organizations he has participated in. Marco has served as class president during his junior and senior years, captain for both his wrestling and tennis teams, a section leader in the Wallkill Wind Ensemble, delegate for the American Legions Boys’ State program, and the sole student representative of the Wallkill Board of Education.

Marco is also proud to be an accomplished athlete and musician. During his five years as a three-sport varsity athlete, he has qualified for multiple Section 9 Competitions and has placed 4th at 152 lbs in the Section 9 wrestling tournament as a junior. He also was selected to play tuba for numerous All-County and Area-All-State festivals.

Outside of school, Marco has served as flight commander for the Civil Air Patrol, enjoys playing piano at local nursing homes, and is a senior patrol leader in Boy Scouts at Troop 10 in Newburgh. He plans to create a Shrine of Hope dedicated to St. Jude at Our Lady of Fatima Parish and obtain his Eagle Scout Award in the spring.

Marco will be attending Cornell University in the fall. He plans to major in Industrial and Labor Relations and will be a cadet in the Air Force ROTC detachment. He is eager to start the next chapter of his life and to serve his country as an officer in the US Air Force.

Charlie Price
Charlie Price’s Wallkill story began in tenth grade when he moved to town in the summer of 2020. He is the son of Robert Price and Susan Shea, step-son to Peter Shea and has two younger siblings, Joey and Julia. Before coming to Wallkill, he went to Wilton High School located in Wilton, CT. Upon coming to Wallkill amid the infamous coronavirus outbreak, he learned how to adapt to changing learning conditions.

Throughout his high-school career, he participated in many extracurricular activities while maintaining a high academic standing. These activities include JV Lacrosse, Varsity Lacrosse, Varsity Nordic Ski, and Varsity Cross Country. Additionally, he was a member of both the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society. He also participated in the Boys State summer program, which was an invaluable lesson in determination and leadership.

While doing these extracurriculars, he worked multiple jobs in his free time to gain real-life hands-on experience. While working at Universal Thin Film Lab in Newburgh, Charlie learned valuable skills in both engineering and leadership, lessons he will always be grateful for. This experience undoubtedly helped Charlie attain a Congressional Nomination to all four Military Academies, a major factor in his acceptance to West Point Military Academy. He has also attained a full-ride NROTC scholarship to a school of choice if he so chooses to use it.

Charlie always prided himself as being hard-working. Whether it was on the field, at home on the computer or at the school on exam day, Charlie never failed to deliver superior results. This quality of hard work is one that will be not be forgotten in his plan to pursue engineering in the future. While there will be adversity in the trials of life, Charlie feels as though he is ready to take them on head-first.

Edwin Herrera II
Edwin Herrera II is the son of Edwin Herrera and Micheline Herrera, and older brother of Xiorah Herrera. He would like to thank his parents for their support and guidance throughout his life. His parents taught him to be disciplined, persevering and hard working. He would also like to thank his friends for making his high school experience one that he will never forget.

Throughout Edwin’s high school career, he was involved in numerous extracurricular activities such as JV soccer, indoor track and field, spring track and field and Nordic Ski. He is also a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society. Over the summer, he started a landscaping business with his friend Connor Bruschi. Here, he learned how to better manage finances. He also went to UC Berkeley over the summer to take part in the National Youth Leadership Forum for engineering. Over his week spent in California he learned leadership skills and engineering skills.

Edwin’s success can be attributed to his time in Wallkill. Edwin is grateful to the Wallkill Central School District for all the opportunities that it’s provided him with. He would like to thank all the teachers and staff for doing a great job in teaching him not only their given subjects but certain aspects of life as well.

After graduating from Wallkill Senior High School, he will continue to pursue an education in engineering. He is very curious to see what this next part of his life has to offer. He would like to congratulate the graduating class of 2023 on making it all the way through high school and wish them the best of luck in whatever they choose to pursue.

Jordan Marwin
Jordan Marwin, son of Eileen and Russell Marwin, is the last of the four Marwin children to proudly walk the halls of Wallkill High School.  He had big shoes to fill as his siblings graduated in the top ten of Wallkill High and with his fierce determination, nothing stopped him from achieving similar successes. “Panther Pride” has been heard so many times during his four years of high school, but as a senior, it took on a new meaning.  He takes pride in the unity that his class has shown as a whole and in the lasting friendships he has made.  He takes pride in the academic achievements attained, encouraged by a fabulous guidance counselor and some amazing teachers along the way.

 He takes pride in the character qualities of honesty, integrity, and persistence that Wallkill has taught him and the strong foundation it has allowed him to build upon.  Great memories and friends were made during early high school years in junior varsity soccer, track, and band.  Having skied on the Nordic Ski Team for four years, being captain has shown him that friends often become family.  Outside of school, Jordan found a love for camping and hiking through scouting and has achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, an honor earned by few. He can often be found mountain biking New York’s trails, boating its lakes, running its ridges, swimming its streams, fishing its creeks, and photographing its beauty. 

Jordan will be attending Cornell University’s College of Engineering in Ithaca this fall.  When not studying, he hopes to ski on their Nordic Team, explore the beauty of Ithaca’s gorges, and fly fish in its waters. He would like to thank his teachers, coaches, family, and friends that have become such an important part of his life and his reason for being panther proud.  He knows that he will travel many life routes and directions but to him, Wallkill and the Class of 2023 will always be “home”.  

Matthew Swider
Matthew Swider is the son of Jerzy Swider and Agnes Swider and the brother of three siblings: Damian Swider, Tomas Swider, and Daria Swider. He would like to thank his family and friends for supporting him throughout his high school career. According to Matt, they have been a substantial attribute to both his academic and mental well-being. Without them he never would have been the character he is today. To pay tribute, Matt inspires to make a major impact on the world, helping others as they have helped him.

Academically, Matt has done an outstanding job. He has taken numerous college classes in the core subjects and has received high honor roll for maintaining his grades to an exceptional standard. However, his favorite subjects are math and science, due to his interest in engineering. Matt has spent ample time in and out of school building his understanding of these topics, including his participation in certain electives such as the PLTW program. One day, Matt hopes to use the knowledge he has gained to further his career and to help innovate society.

Outside of school, Matt enjoys staying active. He has participated in several different sports including track and field, cross country running, and cross-country skiing. One characteristic that is apparent in Matt’s sporting career is his ability to quickly make progress. In his sophomore year, Matt did ski where he won an award for most improved. In his junior year, Matt did his first and only season of track, where he raced in the MHAL championship at the Varsity level. Matt also raced in the MHAL championship for cross country. During this race he ran a sub-20-minute 5k and placed 71st out of 135 other runners.

In the fall Matt will be attending SUNY Binghamton as a major in electrical engineering. He is sad to leave all the people who have shown their undivided support. However, he is excited to start this new chapter of life and to progress as a human being. In addition, it is comforting to know that he will not be making this journey on his own. On that note, Matt would like to congratulate the class of 2023 and wishes them success in all their endeavors.