Wyandanch seniors earn county honors for leadership, achievement

Two student-athletes from Wyandanch High School are being recognized among the county’s top leaders, earning this year’s Suffolk Zone Awards.

Seniors Lauren Alfaro and Juan Majano-Carbajal were selected by the Suffolk Zone Chapter of the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, which annually honors one male and one female student from each Suffolk high school.

Recipients are chosen for their accomplishments in physical education, as well as their character and leadership within their school communities.

Alfaro is a captain on the girls varsity volleyball team, a member of the National Honor Society, and serves as student government president. She is also a reporter and secretary for the school newspaper and represents Wyandanch as a Suffolk County Student Leadership Athletics representative.

Previously, she received the state Sen. Martinez Student Leadership Award.

“Physical education, to me, is more than just staying active, it’s about building discipline, resilience and confidence,” Alfaro said. “Physical education gives me a space to grow not only physically but mentally, while teaching me how to stay focused, support others and keep improving.

“It reminds me that effort matters more than perfection and that the habits I build, like perseverance and self-care, will stay with me far beyond the court,” she added.

Majano-Carbajal is also a member of the National Honor Society, and he participates in Junior ROTC and serves as student government corresponding secretary.

“Physical education didn’t just teach me how to stay active, it taught me how to push through challenges, stay disciplined and believe in my own strength, both physically and mentally, as I grew into the person I am today,” he said.

_{Top: courtesy of Wyandanch schools}