Clarkstown North H.S. Valedictorian: Arielle Friehling

Arielle Friehling wanted to be an architect when she was a child.

Now, the Clarkstown North High School valedictorian is on a new path and wants to build toward a career in law. She hopes that journey will end as either a criminal attorney or an FBI agent.

The daughter of Robin and David Friehling of New City, she will be attending Emory University, in Atlanta, this fall as a Robert W. Woodruff Scholar, providing her a full four-year scholarship.

She also follows in the footsteps of an older brother, who three years ago was Clarkstown North's valedictorian.

She is especially proud of the honor because she said her class at Clarkstown North has some very smart students who also have made their marks outside the classroom.

"I was very excited," said Friehling, 17, when she learned of being named valedictorian. "It's very humbling that I'm at the top of a class of students who are doing so many amazing things."

While she knows what her future career goals are, Friehling is unsure what type of degree she will pursue at Emory. It more than likely will be a humanities degree with a focus on either history or language, two subjects near and dear to her, she said.

"There's so much room for interpretation, debate and sharing of ideas," she said of those types of subjects as opposed to the more analytical sciences and math. "I like hearing other people's opinions and sharing my own."

Friehling also likes to share her time and does so through her volunteer work. This included stints with Youth for Hospice, Varsity Athletes Against Substance Abuse and as co-president of the Heart Club.

She said she likes her community service and sees a career in law enforcement as an extension of that.

"It combines everything," she said. "I truly enjoy helping people and I have a strong passion for altruism and philanthropy and being an agent of law enforcement would be a way of doing that."

Besides being her class' top student and earning the four-year scholarship, Friehling's other academic honors include being a National Merit Scholarship recipient, an AP Scholar with Distinction, member of the Social Studies, Science, World Language, English and Math honor societies, National Honor Society vice president and a PTA Council Scholarship recipient

Outside of the classroom, she also served on the superintendent and principal advisory councils, was the yearbook's editor-in-chief, taught foreign languages to elementary school students in the district and was a varsity cheerleading captain.

The threat of rain has lead Clarkstown school offiicals to change their plans for tonight's Clarkstown North High School graduation.

Instead of holding ceremonies at the North campus in New City, graduation is now set for 6 tonight at the Rockland Community College Fieldhouse on College Road in Ramapo.