Stephanie Cole, a Manhasset resident, has been named as valedictorian of Sacred Heart Academy’s class of 2017 alongside the salutatorian, Margaret Minett of Garden City.
Cole was accepted at several universities, including Notre Dame, Georgetown, Boston and Villanova.
Minett will attend Mount Holyoke College in the fall, where she will study biology.
The two graduated in a competitive class of 197 young women, Cole with a 104.83 grade point average (GPA) and Minett with a GPA of 104.02.
Cole is a National Merit Commended Scholar and a member of the National Honor Society, as well as Sacred Heart’s Science, Math and Music Honor Societies. She was also the SHA Presidential Scholar, which means she received an annual scholarship for her top academic standing.
She maintained a rigorous course load while at Sacred Heart Academy, which included 14 Honors and 8 Advanced Placement courses. In addition, she was one of 81 Economics Honors students to obtain certification in Bloomberg Market Concepts through use of the Bloomberg Financial Markets Lab at Sacred Heart Academy.
Stephanie’s parents, Tim and Celeste Cole, said they are proud of the young woman she has become.
“We are grateful that Stephanie was given such a value-centered education,” said Celeste Cole. “Sacred Heart develops the whole person, while also challenging the students and preparing them really well for college.”
Even with a heavy course load, Stephanie Cole has been actively involved at school and in her community. She was captain of the varsity tennis team; played on the school’s badminton team; is an active member of the Catholic League; tutors at Adventures in Learning; and volunteers for Habitat for Humanity.
She said she looks forward to studying finance at the University of Notre Dame this fall.
“They don’t hold you back,” Cole said of her experience at Sacred Heart Academy. “Sacred Heart wants you to learn to be a leader, and there are so many opportunities to take advantage of here.”
