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Islip High School has announced that seniors Brendan Mercado and Kenneth Ortega are co-valedictorians for the Class of 2017.
Mercado, who plays with the Islip Jazz Ensemble, was named Islip’s Outstanding Senior Science Student, among other accomplishments in his high school career. A New York State Scholar Athlete, he was also an All-League cross-country runner and was a team captain and a county medalist with Islip’s winter and spring varsity track and field squads.
Ortega is president of Islip’s Peer Ambassadors, a Science Olympiad A team member, and the class representative at the Superintendent’s Roundtable.
He also served as class president as a sophomore and as treasurer during his final two years of high school. Ortega is a member of Islip’s varsity tennis and track and field teams.
Both are heading to Cornell University in the fall. Mercado plans to study chemical engineering, while Ortega will major in human biology, health and society.
“This is truly an incredible milestone in my life,” said Ortega. “It’s a great honor to be co-valedictorian and share this achievement with Brendan. We both have worked very hard and have been devoted to our goals. Even though there are more challenges ahead, together we have closed this chapter successfully.”
Mercado said he and Ortega are “well acquainted with success, failure and especially hard work.”
“Those are all equally important,” he said, “but the title itself is of a greater, less appreciated meaning: The love to learn. Success, failure, and hard work are only tools for this higher purpose that I firmly believe we should all strive for. It is why we’re here to begin with.”
Photo (L-R): Brendan Mercado and Kenneth Ortega are Islip High School’s co-valedictorians for the Class of 2017. (Credit: Islip School District courtesy photo)
