Meet The Mepham Valedictorian And Salutatorian

Valedictorian Rachel Jozwik worked tirelessly to juggle her regular course load in addition to being a part of Mepham’s Advanced Science Research Program. Her payoff was being named a Regeneron STS Semifinalist earlier this year.

Jozwik was one of among 300 nationally recognized semifinalists in the country’s most prestigious pre-college science competition often considered the “Junior Nobel Prize.”

“I submitted a paper I'd been working on over the past three years and I was really proud of the research I'd completed,” she said.

Her research was about a specific gene receptor and its connection to stress levels in high school students. Jozwik said she learned a great deal under the mentorship of science teacher, Dr. David Kommor.

“He's always been so supportive and encouraging and has helped me a lot over the past three years,” she said.

Other accolades include being a member of the National Honor Society, being a member and officer of the National Art Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, English National Honor Society, French National Honor Society and a Bausch and Lomb Award recipient. Jozwik was also one of three students in the district to be named a National Merit finalist. Approximately 15,000 students nationwide achieve this distinction.

She plans to study biology at Johns Hopkins University in the fall.

“It's good to get started early on college applications and to stay on track with them,” she advised incoming seniors. “It makes the first half of senior year really busy, but once they're submitted, things get easier.”

Kristina Schwab, Mepham’s Class of 2017 salutatorian, immersed herself in high school life throughout the years, joining several teams and clubs — all while keeping academics at the forefront.

She is on the varsity tennis team and is captain of the badminton team, is a Relay for Life Leadership officer and captain, the S.A.D.D. Club treasurer, a member of Leo Club (the district’s first such club) and a member of the Math team.

Schwab has been named to the Math, French, National Science, Art and National English honor societies. She attributes her endless pursuit of knowledge to a special educator at Mepham who helped foster her resilience and commitment.

“I'd like to thank Mrs. Betsy Siegelaub, who has inspired a passion for learning that continues to drive me to pursue new goals,” she said of the now-retired French teacher.

This fall, Schwab plans to study neuroscience at the Honors College at the University of Pittsburgh. She offered the following advice to next year’s seniors: “Things are not always going to work out in the way you expect, but you just have to keep moving forward and grab the opportunities presented to you.”

Rachel Jozwik, left, and Kristina Schwab. Photos: Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District.