Floral Park Memorial High School announced Kyle Sahadeo as the Class of 2019 valedictorian and Tara Tam as salutatorian.
Sahadeo has achieved a 103.24 weighted grade point average and will earn his Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation with Honors, amassing 32 credits. Throughout his educational career, Kyle has engaged in a rigorous academic schedule, including 11 Advanced Placement courses, earning grades of 97 or better in each. Sahadeo has been designated an Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction and received the Rensselaer Medal, which carries a scholarship from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is pursuing the Naval Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Scholarship offered by the United States Marine Corps.
Sahadeo is a well-rounded student whose investment in education reaches into the extracurricular realm. His academic prowess has earned him memberships in the National Honor Society and the World Language Honor Society. He is also a member of the Mathletes Team, Student Council and the Excalibur yearbook staff. In addition to his involvement with his own educational pursuits, he is a young man with a commitment to his community. He shares his intellect with younger students as a tutor with the local elementary schools and Anna House, at neighboring Belmont Park. Sahadeo is a volunteer firefighter in the South Floral Park Fire Department and a technician helper at the Elmont Public Library. His volunteer history also includes time at New York Presbyterian Hospital and at the River Fund Food Pantry in Queens, New York.
Sahadeo maintains a clear sense of purpose and is always focused on his primary goal of success. With a passion for medicine, science, business and mathematics, he has established himself as an elite student at Floral Park Memorial High School. He will apply to a list of postsecondary institutions, including Adelphi University, Hofstra University, New York University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, St. John’s University and Stony Brook University. He hopes to continue his family legacy, studying pre-medicine and pursuing a career in the medical field.
Tara Tam, a thoughtful, diplomatic student, is the salutatorian for the Class of 2019. Tam has a weighted average of 102.09 and an academic transcript to match, including nine Advanced Placement courses and the achievement of 32.5 credits. Along with a Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation with Honors, Tam has earned the Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction Award and has been named a Commended Student in the National Merit Scholarship Program.
Tam is an embodiment of diverse interests, excelling in academics, music and athletics. She has demonstrated a particular penchant for foreign languages, studying French through Level IVA – the highest offered at the school – and studying Chinese since the age of five. She has been a member of the orchestra throughout high school, participating in the annual Sewanhaka Central High School District Music Festival, New York State School Music Association Festival and the Floral Park Memorial High School Chamber Orchestra. Tam was described by the orchestra teacher as one of the most helpful students in the class, both to staff and students alike.
Tam has volunteered to teach a French course in an after-school program for students who attend John Lewis Childs Elementary School and is also a yearly volunteer for the book fair at that school. She has used her talents toward her studies and in the extracurricular arena serving as treasurer on the Executive Board for the Class of 2019, National Honor Society and Tri-M Music Honor Society, and as president of the Photography Club and Mathletes Team. She is also an Ecology Club member and participates in the annual Beach Cleanup outings.
Complementary to these interests, Tam is a versatile leader, both in and outside of her athletic pursuits. Tam is a focused athlete, playing three years of varsity volleyball, earning her position as team captain in her senior year. She was recognized for her dedication to the team and her leadership abilities by her coach, who noted that despite her many commitments and injury, she attended every single practice during the season. In 2016, she was a member of the Nassau County Girls Volleyball Champions.
Tam aspires to study computer science with a focus on data analytics.
