Meet 10 extraordinary Long Island high school seniors

If you are looking for a sign that the youth of Long Island are destined for great things, we recommend a reading of our annual Extraordinary Seniors profiles.

Chosen from dozens of Long Island students nominated by their schools, the 10 graduating high school seniors from Suffolk and Nassau counties stood out for their resiliency, work ethic and good nature.

Some have overcome health struggles or the death of a parent. Others exhibit creative ingenuity or are committed to making their communities a better place.

Take for instance cousins Jaqueline Lopez and Jackeline Flores of Central Islip High School. Not only are the teens excellent students (Lopez is valedictorian and Flores is 20th in the class), they are talented stagehands who used foam, plywood and automotive eyelashes to create an animatronic dragon for the school’s production of “Shrek the Musical.”

“At the end, it came to life,” Flores said.

Read on for more about this year’s Extraordinary Seniors.

— VERA CHINESE, LI LIFE EDITOR

JESUS BARRIOS

Jesus Barrios, 17, of Amityville, has endured family tragedy and overcome what he calls “humble beginnings” to become a student leader, the 2025 valedictorian at Amityville Memorial High School and, this fall, a Harvard University freshman.

The summer before Barrios entered high school his father, a fish market worker who’d struggled to support his family, died of a heart attack. Barrios' mother had died when he was 6 months old, and his grandmother helped raise him and his three older brothers.

Without “the one person who was supposed to guide" him, Barrios said he “fell into bad habits such as staying up late and missing school.” But he soon realized that he wanted to prove that he wouldn't let tragedy define who he was.

“Losing Dad was a turning point,” he said.

His first step in improving his life: becoming manager of the Amityville junior varsity baseball team. To help support himself financially, Barrios said he took a job as a Chick-fil-A kitchen worker at 15, and later a new employee trainer, but eventually left to concentrate on his education.

Now, he is vice president of the high school student council, president of the Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society and editor-in-chief of The Amityville Echo student news website. He is also a member of his high school’s National Honor Society chapter, tutoring fellow students in math.

With a 109.28 weighted GPA, and a course load that has included 16 Advanced Placement classes, Barrios will graduate first in his class.

“I can’t keep up with all the great things he’s done,” said Amityville Principal John Cardone. “He’s amazed me. You wouldn’t know what he has overcome.”

Barrios' accomplishments also include founding Scholarly Wings, a nonprofit educational support organization offering free online study guides and other resources to students.

He developed the project during summer 2023 with a classmate, Christian Reyes, and Amityville graduate Elver Mejia. “We were buddies at school and came together through a shared interest in computer science and coding and wanting to use that to support others,” Barrios said.

Barrios said that through the organization’s website, scholarlywings.org, low-income K-12 students and first-generation Americans can “level the playing field” by accessing digital study resources they couldn’t otherwise afford. That includes Doves Library, which provides support for students taking Advanced Placement exams, Mindify, which focuses on student mental health motivation and Scholarly Mind, a virtual AI tutor.

Barrios was accepted in December to Harvard and will study computer science and applied mathematics on a full academic scholarship. He said he was awarded a number of other prizes, including the prestigious Gates Scholarship for outstanding high school seniors from low-income households.

“I would not have imagined it, it was truly life changing,” he said of getting into the Ivy League school.

WHAT'S NEXT? Studying computer science and applied math at Harvard University.

I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO: Working as a software engineer for Big Tech.

THE PAST FOUR YEARS HAVE TAUGHT ME: Resilience and optimism. I’ve learned to always make the most of your opportunities and to always look to the future.

— Jim Merritt

DOMENIC CERCONE

As Domenic Cercone approached his senior year at Herricks High School, he experienced a terrible bout of tinnitus, a side effect of earlier hearing loss in his right ear that resulted in his getting a cochlear implant when he was 12.

The tinnitus impacted Cercone’s ability to sleep and read. He also had to give up playing in the jazz band for a semester, during which time he digitized the band’s music catalog so it’ll be easier to access and maintain.

Eventually, Cercone’s doctors referred him to the Center for Hearing and Communication in New York City, where he underwent tinnitus retraining therapy and learned how to mediate the impacts of his condition by employing mind over matter.

“I think it grounded me in a way where I was able to reassess what I value day to day,” said Cercone, 18, of Williston Park.

To get back to playing in the jazz band this year, Cercone overcame his audiology issues by wearing headphones connected to a microphone, enabling him to control the volume he hears, explained his jazz band teacher, Scott Stickley.

“He’s an excellent jazz guitarist as well as a really fine trombonist,” said Stickley, noting that he asked Cercone to also play euphonium, a brass instrument in the tuba family, this year. “Anything you ask him to do, he does it. He’s amazing.”

Cercone is also a varsity baseball player and a strong student. Over the past two years, he has taken several AP classes in the humanities, including in literature, language and U.S. history.

“The best class I think of all of those was AP Psych, however,” Cercone said. “I’m really interested in the social sciences, and that’s what I hope to continue to explore in college.”

Cercone sits on the board of the school’s Model U.N. and is a peer mentor. He also was an assistant coach for the Williston Park Little League, where he started playing, and helped out at the annual apple festival at Mill Neck Manor, which serves Deaf and hard-of-hearing children and adults.

“My experience in Model U.N. and some of the issues I had growing up with my hearing contributed to my interest in how we think and adapt,” Cercone said.

Herricks Superintendent Tony Sinanis, who got to know Cercone through his participation in the Superintendent’s Advisory Committee, a student advocacy group that discusses, among other things, how to nurture a stronger school community, said the teen was always a leader in the group and a valuable contributor.

“He demonstrates a level of reflection that reveals a depth of thought, maturity and insight uncommon for someone his age,” Sinanis said. “Whether engaged in a whole group discussion or working on something independently, he consistently brings a thoughtful and measured perspective that enriches the environment for everyone around him.”

WHAT’S NEXT: University of Massachusetts Amherst, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, majoring in either psychology, sociology or economics.

I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO: “Narrowing down what internship, with respect to the social sciences, I’ll be engaging in.”

THE PAST FOUR YEARS HAVE TAUGHT ME: To be grateful for what you have and the people around you.

— Arlene Gross

TEDDY MOORE

Walking the halls of South Side High School with a white cane does not bother Teddy Moore.

When he was diagnosed as legally blind during his junior year, he said he felt “a sigh of relief.” The diagnosis led to accommodations — like having tests read to him — less eye fatigue and better grades. The floor-tapping device is also inconspicuous compared to the shaved head and scars his peers saw after each of his nearly 40 brain surgeries throughout his elementary and middle school years.

“Teenagers, preteens, no one really cares,” Moore, now a 17-year-old senior, said of his cane. “Or at least I like to think so . . . kids already knew me and knew what to expect.”

This outlook was a relief for Gregory Brennan, Moore’s guidance counselor for the past four years, who said he was “very concerned” that having to use a cane and potential ridicule would dampen Moore’s “positive outlook.”

“He just rolls with it,” Brennan said. “He’s very charismatic, very outgoing, very confident. . . . he’s one of the most resilient kids I’ve ever met in my life.”

The diagnosis was the latest challenge Moore faced since he was born with hydrocephalus, which caused cerebrospinal fluid to build up in his brain, leading to an array of ailments from vision troubles to headaches and even seizures. About 2 of every 1,000 babies are born with the condition, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, in Baltimore, Maryland.

As a child and preteen, Moore needed brain surgeries to implant, replace or remove scar tissue surrounding the 6 feet of tubing, known as a shunt, that transported cerebrospinal fluid from his brain into his abdominal lining. Each surgery meant missing school for weeks or months at a time. Teachers visited his home to help him catch up as he recovered.

Moore hasn’t missed as much material in high school, having not needed surgeries in recent years, but he still endures various symptoms that require rest or evaluation.

With the free time he has, Moore pursues his passion for music. He takes private DJ lessons, performs at events and creates electronic music. A composition he titled “Airsoft” was one of 10 selected for performance at the 29th Annual Student Electronic Music Showcase at the annual 2024 New York State School Music Association winter conference.

Doreen Fryling, who teaches Moore’s International Baccalaureate music course, described him as “the most energetic person in the room,” and “deeply passionate” about creating music.

Moore said his parents always viewed him as musically talented and bought him gear for his DJ business.

“While I was in the [Neonatal Intensive Care Unit], the music therapist said ‘this kid responds to music very well,’ ” Moore recalled. “I’ve always had a knack for it, literally since birth.”

WHAT’S NEXT? Nassau Community College, where Moore will enroll in the three-semester Studio Recording Technology certificate program.

I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO: “Creating more music.”

THE PAST FOUR YEARS HAVE TAUGHT ME: “Patience. If you’re trying to learn somethin and it takes longer than expected, that’s a good thing because it will matter more to you.”

— Nicholas Grasso

MAYA SHAND

At Earl L. Vandermeulen High School in Port Jefferson, Maya Shand has been a high school musical standout. She’s played Lucy in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” Jack’s mom in Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods,” acted in “Seussical: The Musical” and practically every other student production over the past four years.

But performing on stage isn’t just an extracurricular activity for Shand, 18, of Port Jefferson. It’s also a form of therapy that, with the assistance of educators, has helped her overcome the physical and emotional challenges of autism spectrum disorder. The developmental disorder “affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn and behave,” according to the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

“I was 3 when I was diagnosed on the spectrum,” Shand said in a telephone interview. “I was nonverbal, and the thing I remember the most is that I had trouble communicating with other people.”

In early childhood, basic movements such as sitting upright or walking up stairs were difficult, even painful, her guidance counselor, Jennifer Poma, wrote in an emailed statement. Shand’s family was told their daughter would never be able to participate in a typical classroom setting or even “form meaningful emotional connections,” Poma said.

Shand said her mother enrolled her in a specialized program that helped her overcome physical and emotional challenges.

“My mom was a huge contributor to who I am currently,” she said.

A team of educators helped Shand voice her emotions through singing, which eventually evolved into speech. Shand said she began to understand and express complex emotions after joining a community theater group at age 6 and taking acting and singing lessons.

“I don’t remember a time where I wasn’t performing,” she said.

At school, Shand is a member of the National Honor Society and an advocate for and ally of the LGBTQIA community as an active member of the Gay-Straight Alliance. As a member of her high school’s chapter of the Chick-fil-A Leadership Academy, she visited a local assisted living community to sing for residents.

Shand’s community service also includes advocating for students of color as a member of the Village of Port Jefferson Mayor’s Youth Council, and helping children with disabilities through therapeutic horseback riding. For exercise, she rides her family’s horse, Tirza.

In the fall, Shand will major in theater education at Emerson College in Boston, which she said awarded her a $10,000 Visionary Scholarship and an $8,000 Pioneer Scholarship.

Shand said her long-term goal is to earn a Ph.D. and one day continue singing and acting by opening a community theater.

“Performing is my life,” she said.

WHAT’S NEXT? Majoring in theater education at Emerson College in Boston.

I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO: “Being independent, just being in a city and able to make my own decisions by myself.”

THE PAST FOUR YEARS HAVE TAUGHT ME: That being authentic to yourself is more important than how others perceive you.

— Jim Merritt

JAQUELINE LOPEZ AND JACKELINE FLORES

On the night before the first show of their high school musical production “Shrek the Musical” this spring, Jaqueline Lopez and Jackeline Flores were not entirely satisfied with a prop they created for the play.

Back on that March night, the Central Islip High School seniors did not like the way the eyelashes looked on the nearly 12-foot-tall dragon they named “Bobina,” a female character who falls in love with the character Donkey. Instead of popping up, the eyelashes drooped.

Disappointed, the two searched online, found a car repair shop and bought eyelashes once used on the headlights of a Volkswagen Beetle. They returned to school early the next morning and put them on Bobina, completing her look.

The dragon, with blinking eyes, flapping wings and an interlocking jaw, was among the highlights of the show, said their technology teacher and adviser, Darren Ehrhardt. It looked so professionally built that he said some asked him afterward where the crew had rented it.

“The dragon really made the audience go ‘whoa,’ ” he said.

Lopez, 17, and Flores, 18, both of Central Islip, credited each other’s support for how Bobina turned out. The two, who are cousins, have known each other since they were children and grew to be “inseparable” in high school.

“A classmate told us that he never sees us alone,” Lopez said. “She just gets me on a different level that a lot of people don’t.”

The teens, children of immigrants from El Salvador, began their studies in Central Islip as English Language learners and later transitioned into general classes. Out of a graduating class of about 600, Flores was ranked 20th and Lopez is the valedictorian this year.

Lopez and Flores estimated they spent 300 hours building the dragon, using pieces of foam, fabric, clay and plywood. From January through March, they stayed late on school days and came in during breaks and Saturdays.

The task was so daunting that some of their teachers at first expressed doubt.

Anthony Griffin, an English teacher who directed the theatrical production, was concerned about the logistics with the dragon’s size and recalled his own skepticism when the cousins told him their vision.

“I was completely wrong,” Griffin said recently. “It just blew our minds how thorough and how beautiful the thing came out because they put so much attention to detail.”

The teens recalled having moments of doubt themselves. Flores said she thought of giving up but decided against it because she wanted to prove that she could do it.

“I continued to work on it,” she said. “At the end, it came to life.”

— LOPEZ —

WHAT’S NEXT? Heading to Stony Brook University to study electrical engineering.

I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO: “I’m most looking forward to the people I'm going to meet there,” at Stony Brook.

THE PAST FOUR YEARS HAVE TAUGHT ME: “It’s OK to seek guidance ... if you don’t understand something. instead of panicking,“ which she said she used to do, “It’s OK to ask for help.”

— FLORES —

WHAT’S NEXT? Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan to study animation and graphics.

I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO: “I'm looking forward to college because I know it'll be very different. ... I'm just excited for everything I'll learn."

THE PAST FOUR YEARS HAVE TAUGHT ME: “Be dedicated to what you do and not let others bring you down. Do not give up on yourself. If you want to do something, go for it.”

—Dandan Zou

ADRIAN LOPEZ

Adrian Lopez’s family couldn’t understand why he spent so much time online making videos instead of getting a summer job.

Then came the checks for thousands of dollars.

Between December 2023 and April 2025, Lopez said he has made more than $50,000 through his @nbainspires TikTok and YouTube channels, where he has amassed 135,000 and 175,000 subscribers, respectively.

“On YouTube, you could probably make anywhere from $100 to $200 per a million views,” said Lopez, 18, of Ridge. “But on TikTok, there’s potential to make $1,000 per a million views.”

The basketball fan cannot keep up with every game, especially when he has to make videos on school nights before waking up for classes at Longwood High School. Instead, he scours social media for clips of particular players making shots, trash talking or anything else he thinks will flesh out a TikTok “edit,” a colloquial term for a style of short-form highlight reel mashup he said is popular with viewers between the ages of 10 and 20. He then enhances the clips with software that set him back $400, a purchase he said was as an investment in himself. Lopez pairs the footage with “a good song that’s viral or trending right now . . . whether it’s rap or sad music.”

His process for making content for YouTube, where he posts fewer videos but ones of higher quality, is much longer.

“On TikTok, relevance is way more important than YouTube,” Lopez said. “If a game happened last night, I need to have a TikTok on it by 10 a.m. the next morning. YouTube, it doesn’t matter about the relevance. As long as it’s a genuinely good video, it’ll get views.”

The frequency at which Lopez posts videos has fluctuated over the past few years as he balanced this entrepreneurship with a gauntlet of honors and Advanced Placement classes at Longwood. As a student of the Suffolk County Community College Early College Program through his high school, he also took college-level courses during his summers.

Lopez will graduate this month in the top 5% of his class.

“As a senior, he’s taken so many college courses and has grown exponentially as a student,” said Brittany Stewart, Lopez’s college reading and writing teacher and the director of Longwood’s early college program. Among the group of around 25 students in his advanced academic program, she added, “he’s become a key player and mentor. He’s always been able to stay on top and keep a positive attitude.”

WHAT’S NEXT? University at Buffalo, majoring in business management to learn digital marketing.

I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO: “More free time. Every day I’ve had to wake up at 6 a.m. for school for the past four years. That hindered my potential for what I could do for NBAInspires.”

THE PAST FOUR YEARS HAVE TAUGHT ME: “Consistency. You could have God’s given ability, but if you’re not working at it every day then it’s pointless.”

—Nicholas Grasso

RILEIGH PICKEN

Bellport High School senior Rileigh Picken and her father, Christopher, used to call each other BDE, which stood for the best dad/daughter ever.

She said it has been hard to hold everything together at school since her father, a Suffolk County Community College science professor, died of colon cancer at age 52 just a few weeks into her senior year. And right before her dad became sick, Picken’s mom was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and underwent multiple surgeries. She is now doing well.

“It was incredibly hard watching both of my parents go through such an awful thing,” she said. “But it taught me that those who love each other take care of each other through sickness and health.”

In addition to family and friends who’ve supported her, Picken credits performing and the theatrical community for helping her get through these tough times. At a recent school talent show, Picken, a gifted actor and singer, sang her dad’s favorite song: the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Snow.”

“I dedicate a lot of my performances and a lot of why I’m a performer today to both my parents,” said Picken, 17, of Bellport. “But in the recent few months, he’s been my guiding light throughout everything.”

Outside of the school’s musical theater, Picken has studied acting and worked in children’s theater at The Gateway in Bellport since kindergarten.

“The community in theater is such a welcoming one where I feel I could just go to rehearsal or do a show and get up on stage, drop everything at the door and I don’t feel judged,” Picken said.

Recently, Picken performed in “Frozen” at Gateway’s main stage, where she got to work alongside Broadway actors.

“I was able to be in the show and do numbers with these actors and learn what it’s like to be in the industry, and I’m so grateful for that opportunity,” she said. “I’ve earned an Equity credit because of it, which is a really big deal in the industry.”

Picken, a stellar student, enjoyed AP research, where she explored the subject of deer management on Long Island, and said she was surprised at how well she did in AP statistics this year.

“I’m not good at math; I’m not good at statistics, but my teacher taught it in such a way where I did very well on the exams and it ended up being something I really enjoy,” she said.

Not only does Picken have a natural talent, but she works hard at it, said her high school chorus teacher, Harry Finnegan.

“She seeks out opportunities to better herself,” Finnegan said. “She’s done NYSSMA [New York State School Music Association] solos every year and she’s gone to All County every year for chorus. And that’s not all that common.”

WHAT’S NEXT: Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, majoring in sociology, minoring in theater and performance.

I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO: Going to Stowe, Vermont, this summer with her mom, “which was my dad’s favorite place, to honor my dad for a little bit.”

THE PAST FOUR YEARS HAVE TAUGHT ME: That the “people who truly care about you will show up and that community is what you make it.”

— Arlene Gross

WILLIAM MCCELLAND

Walking through the halls of Comsewogue High School, it’s easy to see why William “Billy” McCelland is nicknamed “The Mayor.”

As the 19-year-old from Port Jefferson Station drizzled flavored syrups on top of coffees for the school’s Brew Crew Cafe, customers greeted him with a joyous “Billy!” Students passing through to their next class stopped to say hi or offer him a fist bump.

In the past four years, McCelland, who has Down syndrome, has made a lasting impact on his community, according to school staff, peers and his family.

“He is the most loved kid in the building,” said Katy Dornicik, a life skills teacher at Comsewogue.

From the janitorial staff to the superintendent, he knows everyone’s name and they know his, said his mother, Kate McCelland.

“Everybody who has met my son instantly falls in love with him. He’s just the sweetest kid,” she said. “He is always trying, he’s got such determination. He’s got a great sense of humor.”

Every Wednesday and Friday morning, from third through fourth periods, McCelland and his classmates can be found at the Brew Crew Cafe, making a variety of flavored coffees and lattes for students and staff.

The cafe is part of the school’s Life Skills program, which teaches students skills they can use at home and in the workforce. It also brings students to work in the community each week at various places like libraries, restaurants and stores.

When McCelland started the program, he was hesitant to participate in activities, Dornicik recalled. But over time, his “social butterfly” personality shone through.

“He just is the life of the school, at any event,” Dornicik said. “You’ll see him at sports, and he’s right in the middle cheering everybody on.”

McCelland will continue on with the program for an additional year after he graduates later this month, Dornicik said.

Outside of the classroom, McCelland participates in various activities like unified bowling, unified basketball and the drama club.

Kate McCelland said that this year her son Jack, 16, who does not have Down syndrome, joined unified basketball to play with his brother, who she said is a happy kid.

“He came out smiling since the day he was born,” Kate McCelland said of Billy McCelland. “His smile can just brighten anybody’s day.”

Billy McCelland said he values his friends, his teachers, and most of all, his family. And as the unofficial mayor, he believes he can
do anything he sets his mind to.

He told Newsday that giving it his all has been his motto for the past four years.

“Come here and work hard,” McCelland said.

WHAT’S NEXT? Working in the community and continuing to work with the Life Skills program at Comsewogue High School.

I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO: “Being with friends.”

THE PAST FOUR YEARS HAVE TAUGHT ME: “Come here and work hard.”

— Maureen Mullarkey

OLIVIA PHILLIPS

For Olivia Phillips, serving her community isn’t just an extracurricular activity, but a way of life.

The 17-year-old William Floyd High School senior has been giving to her community since she was in elementary school and launched a nonprofit that donated Easter baskets to shelters, emergency housing programs and other kids in need across the state. “Easter Baskets by Olivia” helped hundreds of kids over the years, she said.

“We asked for community donations, we asked our Girl Scout troops, we asked churches for a bunch of different donations,” said Phillips, who was 7 at the time. “The community every year really came through, and we were able to donate hundreds of baskets.”

The Mastic teen’s philanthropic spirit led to leadership roles in her school and at the New York State YMCA Youth and Government conference, where her peers elected her governor for this year’s conference.

“I really got to see how, even though we’re only kids and teens, our ideas can come to light,” she said. “We were debating Real Life issues.”

Phillips has been recognized by local and federal lawmakers, achieved honor roll throughout her academic career and was elected homecoming queen in 2024. Among her long list of accomplishments, she was also the youngest member on the Schneps Media 2023 Power Women of Long Island list.

While some see the honors and awards that come with Phillips’ hard work, others might not see her rigorous schedule, which includes AP coursework, extracurricular activities, sports and many late nights.

She is a high performer not only in the classroom, but also on the tennis court, where she mentors other players, her coach said.

“Right away I realized that she was one of the most determined, respectful and hardest-working student athletes I’ve come across in my 22-year career, and you could just tell her enthusiasm to improve in all areas . . . no matter the obstacle,” said Don Law, William Floyd’s junior varsity tennis coach.

Phillips said she’s drawn inspiration from her time with the Girl Scouts of the USA, where she received honors such as the top cookie seller in Suffolk County for several years, a Gold Award for creating a therapeutic sensory room in a local group home for teen girls and was even featured on the Do-Si-Do cookie box in 2020.

“You’re able to look at the world from a different lens because of Girl Scouts focusing so much on giving back,” Phillips said. “My involvement with Girl Scouts at such a young age really showed me that I’m really passionate about serving others.”

Phillips also found inspiration from a role model much closer to home — her mother, Kim Mitchell-Phillips, who was born and raised in Guyana, where she faced hardship.

“I saw that we don’t have everything, but I’m super fortunate to have what I have,” she said.

As she thinks about her future, Phillips said, “I have to do something where I’ll have the resources and the platform to give back to my community.”

WHAT’S NEXT? Phillips is heading to Cornell University in Ithaca in the fall and will major in public policy. She hopes to become a lawyer.

I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO: “New experiences in college, but also seeing how not only my life unfolds, but how all of my friends and the people that I love so much, how their lives also unfold.”

THE PAST FOUR YEARS HAVE TAUGHT ME: “That having friends that you can trust is one of the most important things and also not being afraid to make mistakes and being accountable for those mistakes.”

— Darwin Yanes