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Meet South Country’s Top Three Seniors

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The District is pleased to announce that Ali Dennis Guillermo Jr. and Natalia Jordan have been named valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, for Bellport High School’s Class of 2020. Audrey Barry was also named essayist.

Bellport High School Principal Tim Hogan called being named the district’s top three students a remarkable achievement as these students “serve as leaders of the building and as role models to other students.”

As valedictorian, Ali is an Advanced Placement Scholar with Honors and a member of the National Honor Society, Science Honor Society and Math Honor Society. He received High Honor Roll every quarter during his high school tenure. Beyond academic pursuits, Ali participated in weekly algebra tutoring of middle school students to help them improve their math skills. He also volunteered each week as a receptionist at Brookhaven Memorial Medical Center, now known as Long Island Community Hospital. Ali’s many achievements are magnified by the personal sacrifices that his parents made to start a new life in the United States. Overcoming the barriers of being a first generation student and being at the top of his class is an immense source of pride for his family. This fall, Ali will attend Stony Brook University where he will pursue a career in nursing.

As salutatorian, Natalia is an Advanced Placement Scholar with Honors and is a member of the National Honor Society and Math and Science honor societies. She is a recipient of the Town of Brookhaven’s prestigious Hispanic Heritage Award, is a volunteer Spanish translator at school night events and a HOBY ambassador. With a passion for science, technology and engineering, Natalia participated in the Science and Technology Entry Program at Suffolk County Community College and Stony Brook University’s Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program. Her successes were also witnessed on the athletic field, as she ran for Bellport High School’s track and field team and played varsity soccer for four years. She not only served as varsity soccer captain but participated in three travel soccer teams while in high school. Natalia is also a Stony Brook University Hospital volunteer, a member of Brookhaven Youth Court and a summer camp counselor at Los Delfines Camp in Columbia. As a dual citizen of both Columbia and the United States, Natalia is bilingual and extremely proud of her heritage. She will attend Cornell University in the fall where she will study biologic sciences as a pre-med student.

This year’s essayist is Audrey Barry, whose creative mind and artistic talent has distinguished her as one of the class’ top students. Throughout her high school tenure, the South Country community has enjoyed her breathtaking artwork. In addition to being president of the National Art Honor Society, Audrey was selected as a student-artist for the grand opening of South Country’s student art exhibit. Notably, Audrey’s work was displayed in the Heckscher Museum’s “Long Island’s Best” art exhibit and she earned distinguished scores for portfolio pieces submitted to the New York State Art Teachers Association. In addition to her artistic talent, Audrey is a devoted tennis player; she has been captain of the varsity team since 10th grade and was a recipient of the scholar-athlete award. Audrey’s commitment to education has earned her membership into the math, science, and National Honor Societies. Audrey plans on attending Binghamton University where she will pursue a career in biomedical engineering.