When Jay Shah and Morgan Roth were named valedictorian and salutatorian of New Hyde Park Memorial High School on Wednesday they both said they were surprised.
“I never imaged myself being a salutatorian,” Roth said.
“I just focused on doing the best in my classes,” Shah added. “It transpired after.”
The two were announced as top students of the class of 2015 in a news release from the Sewanhaka Central High School District.
Shah said it was his hard work that lead him to become valedictorian.
“It sort of represents the time I put into all of my classes,” he said.
Shah, who is currently enrolled in five Advanced Placement classes, said he is interested in studying neuroscience.
“The brain is so interesting,” he said. “There are so many mysteries and we barely know anything about it.”
Shah is also a member of the National Honor Society and New Hyde Park’s Talented and Gifted program.
He said he currently does not know where he wants to attend college.
“I’ll leave that up to fate,” he said.
Shah said his interest in music helped him to deal with the stress of school.
“I felt like it was essential to get involved in other thins,” he said. “Music is key.”
Roth, who wants to attend Princeton for engineering, also attributed her success to her work.
“From a young age my parents supported me,” she said. “Always working hard definitely helped.”
Roth is an all-state bowler and is also the president of the Key Club. She is part of the Tri-M Music Honor Society.
