Montville Salutatorian: I'm Satisfied When I Do Well

Neville Dusaj came to the in fourth grade. The high school senior lives on the border of Towaco and Lincoln Park, plays the viola and piano outside of school, enjoys tennis, skiing and travel, and volunteers regularly at his family’s Zoroastrian Temple in Suffern, NY.

Dusaj, 17, is also the (MTHS) Class of 2012 salutatorian.

“It was never really to get to a certain rank,” Dusaj said about his academic goals and achievement of the number two spot in his class of 352 students. “It was just to do whatever I can in my classes and see what happens.”

With a love of science, Dusaj has taken mostly science classes during his high school career.

“[Science] comes naturally to me, almost. It’s just something I enjoy learning about,” he explained.

In September, Dusaj will continue to focus on science as a Biochemistry major at the University of Pennsylvania. Before high school, Dusaj considered a career in aerospace, but then decided to try and follow in his grandparents’ footsteps and pursue a medical degree after his undergraduate work.

“I don’t know what motivates me,” Dusaj said. “It makes me feel satisfied when I do well.”

The upcoming Ivy League student is still uncertain about which specialty he would like to pursue as a doctor, however, he knows he does not want to be a family practitioner. Dusaj is looking forward to medical school and rotations to help him decide.

“But, that is still a long way down the road,” he said.

Dusaj’s biggest academic surprise in high school has been his affections for English.

“Writing wasn’t my biggest thing,” Dusaj said.

But as a freshman, he met English teacher Sarah Cooper. Her teaching style impressed him.

“She is definitely one of the smartest and most entertaining people to have as a teacher,” Dusaj noted. “She just helps you so much in terms of writing. I don’t know how she does it, but it’s one of the best classes I’ve taken.”

As salutatorian, Dusaj will make a speech at the 2012 MTHS graduation on Thursday night after . Public speaking is second nature to Dusaj, who has been a member of the MTHS award-winning forensic team for four years.

“Forensics has done a lot for me,” Dusaj said. “It has helped me out so much in terms of writing and just being able to speak and just learning more about the way the world works.”

Dusaj’s final forensics tournament was last week. The senior said he will miss the team and plans to return to MTHS to help out with future teams.

Inspiration for his salutatorian speech is being drawn from friends.

“I ask them what they think will be meaningful,” Dusaj said.

While Dusaj is keeping his final message to the class of 2012 under wraps, he knows what he would like to say to the incoming freshmen.

“They should work as hard as they can and get themselves involved in things outside of the classroom,” Dusaj said. “Don’t worry so much about what specific numbers that you need [to get into college], because there is no such thing. You just have to do what comes naturally and do what you enjoy and colleges will see that. 'Cause, from what I have seen, with my friends, and what colleges we got into, there is no set formula.”