Aliyah John: The Valedictorian

The valedictorian of the Class of 2021 is Aliyah John. Through hard work Aliyah was able to achieve this high academic status and prevail throughout her time at Lindenhurst High School. The Charles Street Times was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to interview Aliyah about her academic achievements. 

Throughout high school, Aliyah was a determined and hardworking student. She took a multitude of AP and advanced courses. Some of her favorite classes in high school include AP Chemistry, AP Research, AP Calculus, AP US History, and the Science Research classes. Aliyah has a passion for science and research. For this reason, she took the Science Research courses at the high school and pursued programs such as the Long Island Science Congress Competition, the Northwell Health Spark! Challenge, and the Science Journal Club at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. 

Aliyah participated in many activities throughout high school. She was a member of the National Honor Society, the Secretary of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, the Secretary for Research Competitions Club, and the Vice-President of the Key Club. Aliyah also plays saxophone in the school band and participates in chorus. She was even chosen for the 2020-2021 Virtual All-State Conference for Mixed Chorus. It wasn’t always easy for Aliyah to participate like that and in the interview she mentioned that she was once “a reserved kid for a while, so it was hard to make myself known.” She stated “One of the biggest challenges I faced in high school was putting myself out there and making meaningful connections.” 

Aliyah described her senior year as “ rewarding, bittersweet, and momentous “. COVID-19 brought many challenges throughout but Aliyah was able to overcome them and succeed. An example of one of these challenges was the difficulties of communication between students and teachers when students are remote. Aliyah mentions that a difficult part of remote learning was “asking questions during and after lessons. It’s easier to communicate with teachers and receive instruction from them in person. I overcame this challenge by reminding myself that I still have these long-term goals for my future despite the presence of covid-19. Therefore, I encouraged myself to overcome these communication barriers.”   

Aliyah would like to become a cardiac surgeon (a surgeon that operates on hearts). She is also interested in doing work for the United Nations. Aliyah hasn’t chosen what college or university she will attend yet but whichever she chooses it’s clear that her future is bright.