Syosset High School is proud to announce that Benjamin Senzer is the Class of 2016 Valedictorian and Michael Collet is the Salutatorian. “Benjamin Senzer and Michael Collet are two examples of students that inspire while immersing themselves in everything Syosset,” said Principal Dr. Giovanni Durante. “I am very proud of their accomplishments both inside and outside of the classroom and wish them continued success in their futures.”
Benjamin is a well-rounded student with a strong interest in science and math, having scored an 800 on both the chemistry and math SAT II. He is an AP Scholar of Distinction with A+ grades in 14 different AP courses covering math, science, social studies, English, French and music, as well as Advanced Research courses. A National Merit and Presidential Scholar finalist this year, Benjamin has been accepted to Princeton University and plans to study bioengineering, an area of study for which he completed a pre-college program through Brown University last year.
This year, Benjamin was a semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search for his research on the negative effects of pollutants on local beaches and was also a 2015 finalist in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. He has won numerous other honors for his research prowess, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Research Award and the Syosset HS Science Symposium Teacher’s Honor Award for two consecutive years.
Benjamin also has a love for music and is a heralded bassist with the orchestra, previously achieving All-State and All-County status and winning the Gold Medal of Distinction award at the New York State School Music Association Festival for three consecutive years and The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center competition last year. He also enjoys writing, and presently serves as Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper having placed in the top three in past Long Island school journalism competitions.
Other leadership positions Benjamin has assumed include serving as president, and previously vice president, of the Chamber Music Orchestra and Club (the latter of which he co-founded), as well as president of the French Honor Society. He has also coordinated fundraising efforts for Charity Music Inc. and volunteers his time as a pit bassist for theater productions as well as teaching Hebrew at the Woodbury Jewish Center.
Michael is an entrepreneurial-minded student who has excelled in several marketing and business related courses and competitions. This includes holding membership in the Business Honor Society to go along with National and National Spanish honor societies. A past AP Scholar of Distinction, Michael is a National Merit finalist this year and plans to study applied economics and management at Cornell University.
Currently serving as vice president of the Investment Club, Michael utilizes his spare time to educate his peers about finance and the economy. He is also a member of the school’s chapter of the Distributive Educational Clubs of America for which he has won numerous awards. This includes first place awards in the Sports and Marketing Entertainment category at the Nassau County DECA conference and fourth place at the statewide competition, as well as honors in the Hotel and Lodging Management categories.
Michael combines his knowledge of finance with an interest in government and legislative matters, having accepted leadership roles with the school’s Model Congress as vice president for fundraising the last two years and treasurer in his sophomore year. Through the years, Michael has also excelled in science, having won second place in Syosset HS Science Symposium’s science category and its Outstanding Science Literary Research Award in consecutive years. He also won the Long Island Science Congress Achievement Award in 2014 for his research on contaminated soil.
Parlaying his interest in business with community service, Michael has also served as the charitable events coordinator for DECA for the past two years. Additionally, he helps children develop social and language skills at the Variety Child Learning Center and volunteers at the Cold Spring Hills Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, providing companionship to residents.
The Syosset CSD congratulates Benjamin and Michael for the highest academic honors in the Syosset High School Class of 2016.
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