When Shazaib Saleem and Aleena Imran were being considered for valedictorian and salutatorian of Sewanhaka High School’s class of 2015, they said, it was not a matter of if they would be at the top of their class but which of the two would be first.
“We’ve been competing since the ninth grade,” said Saleem, who last week was named the class of 2015 valedictorian.
“We would always compete,” Imran said, who was named salutatorian. “I’m happy with being second, though.”
Saleem, who has a weighted average of 102.13 and is an AP Scholar with Distinction, said he plans to attend Harvard University in the fall for neurosurgery.
He said he attended Harvard last summer, earning eight college credits.
Saleem was named a semi-finalist in the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program and is a member of the National Honor Society and National Science Honor Society.
He is also a member of the varsity volleyball team, the mock trial team, green club, student council, mathletes and class board, according to a release from the school.
“I wasn’t surprised to be the valedictorian,” Saleem said.
Imran, who has a weighted average of 99.37, plans to study pre-med or international relations at Boston College, she said.
She said that she wants to reconcile her passion for both subjects but also is looking to career.
“I want to secure a future for myself,” she said.
Imran is an AP scholar with distinction and last May received the Bausch & Lomb Science Award from the University of Rochester. She is involved in the robotics club and participated in the New York City Robotics Competition in 2013 where the high school won first place honors, according to the release.
She is involved in the student council, class board, science olympiads and women in science programs. She is also the president of the Foreign Language Honor Society and a member of both the National Science Honor Society and the National Honor Society.
