Imani Favard, a wise young lady and a teller of truths. Imani will be heading to the New York Institute of Technology in September, with Life Science B.S./ Physical Therapy D.P.T double major. While at Elmont, Imani participated in tons of clubs and activities, including: President of Rho Kappa, Secretary of Science Honor Society, Editor of the Elmont Phoenix, Vice-President of Yearbook, Key Club, Senior National Society and National Music Honor Society. Ms. Martinez feels really special that Imani will miss her two clubs the most, Yearbook and Newspaper Club: “Yearbook Club allowed me to be creative and relax after a long day of school. Newspaper Club allowed me to think about things beyond the classroom and look into things that interest me.” Elmont has taught Imani much… don’t make excuses, meet shortcomings head on, resilience, the importance of a sense of community and support system, to name a few. Imani has a lot of people she wants to thank for support during her high school career: “I want to first thank God for getting through these six years in one piece. Next I want to thank my parents for always encouraging me and helping me to succeed. One teacher I would like to thank is Ms. Flannory. She encouraged me and helped me to see my potential beyond research. She helped me to see that even when things don’t go as planned it doesn’t mean that I’ve failed and my worth is more than what a test can measure or what a piece of paper says I’ve accomplished. Another teacher who I will never forget is Ms. Harley. She was the first black teacher I’ve ever had. She was the first teacher who truly held me to such high standards and demanded the best at all times. She always had group discussions and wanted us to think and learn about the real issues in the world.” This Elmont family and what she’s described as “my home” is what Imani will be missing most of all next year - even the crowded hallways and loud cafeterias.

Angela Melendez, the researcher and number one recycler. Angela will be attending Hunter College in the Fall, and of course she will be staying science-oriented with Physics as a major. During her time at Elmont, Angela was the president of Mathletes, Vice President of Science National Honor Society, founder of the Recycling committee, member of Science Research, Key Club, Business Honor Society, Newspaper Club, Yearbook, Jazz Choir and World Language Honor Society. She’ll miss her extraordinary recycling team for sure, the Jazz choir, and the Science Research room because she felt herself the most there. As for lessons learned at Elmont, Angela puts it bluntly: “Superficial stuff doesn’t mean anything; it won’t get me anywhere. Choose who you spend your time with wisely, work your butt off times and finally don’t do drugs, kids.” When asked about shout outs, Angela had a lot: “Shout out to Mrs. Flannory, Mr. Raskind and Mrs. Farley! What’s uppppppp. Also, all the teachers who I had a chance to connect with motivated me even further. I consider myself lucky to have had such a gem group of teachers like Harley, Davison, Mojocoa, Raskind, Martinez, Flannory, Farley, Gilliam, Gibson, Persaud, LoPuzzo and Miele. Much like her classmates have already said, the atmosphere of Elmont is what Angela will miss most: “I’ll miss how tight Elmont was because it felt like a second home.”

Abimbola Omotade, the sweetest and most friendly scholar. Abimbola will be heading to the University at Albany in the Fall to study Human Biology (major) and Creative Writing (minor) with the hopes of later attending medical school and becoming a pediatrician. While at Elmont, Abi participated in the following clubs and activities: Leading Ladies (Treasurer, Junior Ambassador, Co-President), Newspaper Club, Peer Educators, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), National Junior Honor Society, National Senior Honor Society, World Language Honor Society, Rho Kappa Honor Society, Step Team, Gospel Choir, and Yearbook. Abi will most miss the Leading Ladies because she “took on a new leadership role every year, and this was the most involved [she’s] been in a club during my high school career” and is forever grateful for the lessons she learned there. Abi’s experience at Elmont has also taught her to take nothing for granted: “There was even a time where I took myself for granted by underestimating myself and my own capabilities. Once I moved past that, I soared, and not only in my academics but in my morale as well.” She would like to give special shoutouts to God, her family and her friends, and her 6th grade teacher, Mr. Matthew Verdi, who always believed in her and knew she was destined for great things. Leaving Elmont behind, Abi will most miss “the sense of community it provided me and others alike… We all felt at home with each other, and I’ll always cherish Elmont for providing me with that type of atmosphere.”

Ankush Ngg, our mathematical and scientific superstar! Ankush will be headed to Farmingdale State College to study Mechanical Engineering. In the same regard, while in high school, Ankush participated in a lot of STEM-related clubs, including: National Science Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta Honor society, Mathletes, and Tech club. Of all the activities, Ankush shares he will miss Tech Club the most because of the “interesting projects like building drones, solar powered race cars, and other tech related projects that interest me.” Ankush only began attending Elmont in 9th grade and it taught him a lot. He considers the people of Elmont very friendly and felt this taught him to become very social. For his successes, Ankush wants to thank his parents, as they are the main reason why he has reached his level of achievement, as well as his teachers and specifically his guidance counselor, Ms. Sanju Liclican. What’s Ankush going to miss most about Elmont Memorial? “My friends and the memories we made in Elmont,” and he adds, “The professors in college won't be as caring about my grades as the Elmont teachers, so I will definitely miss my teachers as well.”

Last, but not least, cheerful scholar Alexis Robert will be pursuing a career in Forensic Pathology while studying at the University of New Haven. In high school, Alexis was a participant in multiple honor societies, including World Language, Tri-M, and Rho Khappa. She was also part of the band during her entire time at Elmont, and a part of the Superintendent Council. In her later years, Alexis joined the Gay-Straight Alliance and the Yearbook Comittee. For sports, Alexis was a cheerleader from grades eight to twelve and feels she will probably miss cheer the most: “I loved the friends I made, and I loved performing for people at games and at pep-rallies; being a cheerleader made me a leader and overall a confident woman and I hope everyone gets to have a similar experience in whatever they pursue.” Alexis learned many valuable lessons during her time at Elmont, including to be independent while also maintaining the ability to community - a skill she finds crucial to personal success. Elmont also taught her to manage time and reach out to others when assistance is needed - both skills she considers “a huge part of growing up and making smart decisions.” For props, Alexis would like to shout out Mr. Squillace, who was her Algebra 2 teacher in the tenth grade who helped her realize “that the only thing keeping me from success was myself.” Like many of the twenty four students who came before her, she will miss being able to see her friends all the time: “I didn’t realize how much of a luxury that was until now. Having all of your old friends in your classes, and seeing them during lunch and free periods is a blessing and it’s something you shouldn’t take for granted!”