Schools

Whiz Kid: Miller Place Co-Valedictorian Aris Gonell

Name: Aris Gonell, age 17

School:
 Miller Place High School Class of 2014

Accomplishments: Aris shares the number one spot at Miller Place High School's graduation this year, as co-valedictorian of the Class of 2014.  He was awarded the Advanced Placement (A.P.) Scholar with Distinction Award by the College Board.  During his high school career, he took nine A.P. courses and was on the High Honor Roll for every quarter.  He was the recipient of the Award for General Academic Excellence each year, as well as the recipient of the Excellence in Spanish Award, Excellence in History Award and Excellence in Technology Award.

Aris is a member of the National Honor Society, Foreign Language Honor Society, Mathletes and Service Club.  He has been a member of the Robotics Team since 8th grade, serving as the team's scouting captain and safety captain for the past two years.

A long distance runner and pole vaulter, Aris was a member of the Varsity Cross Country, Winter and Spring Track Teams.  He was recognized as a scholar-athlete on each of those teams.  

Aris has been a volunteer at John T. Mather Memorial Hospital since the 9th grade and had an internship shadowing a medical doctor.  With over 450 hours of volunteer service at the hospital, he was the recipient of one of the hospital's six college scholarships this year.  He has also volunteered his time for the Dig Pink Breast Cancer fund raiser, Breakfast with Santa, food drives and roadside cleanups. 

Heading to Duke University in the fall, Aris will be majoring in chemistry on the pre-med track.  His career goal is to be a medical doctor/anesthesiologist.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here