Lynbrook High School's top of the class

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Although he seemed to float among these many worlds with relative ease, Skyler has had to work at keeping everything balanced. “Doing well in school is definitely important, but it’s equally important to leave some time to share with family and friends,” he said. “If I had it to do over, I would focus more on enjoying my free time.”

Although Skyler’s college acceptance process got off to a rocky start with a deferral letter from Yale, that experience opened the door to a new opportunity he would have never considered otherwise. “After being deferred from Yale, I realized that six of the 12 schools I had applied to were Ivy League schools, and I wasn’t guaranteed admissions to any of them,” he said. “I applied to WashU as a late addition because it had no extra writing supplement, but I ended up loving everything about the school.”

With all that behind him, he offered these final words of advice for anxious juniors. “Don’t worry. Just be yourself and everything will work out in the end.”

SALUTATORIAN: MATTHEW SCHNEIDER


“I think my friends would describe me as respectful, intelligent, humble and not as serious as I sometimes appear,” said Lynbrook High School salutatorian Matthew Schneider, with just a hint of a smile.
As an AP Scholar, PSAT Commended Student, and award-winning science research student, this sometimes serious young man has much to smile about when looking back over a successful four years at Lynbrook High School. He also has much to smile about while looking ahead to a bright future at Georgetown University.
Of the many challenging courses he took at Lynbrook High, Matthew was most influenced by his AP Government class. “That course definitely shaped my interest in studying this field in college, and definitely shaped my desire to attend Georgetown, where internships in the federal government are plentiful,” he said.
In addition to always striving for academic excellence, Matthew has been involved in several clubs that have helped shape his life. “My role as the president of the Science Olympiad Club and vice president of the Globe Club has enhanced my passion for government and has given me the opportunity to prove myself as a leader,” he explained. “The History Bowl Club was also a fun way to get involved and demonstrate my passion for history.”
Among his most meaningful community service experiences, Matthew says his volunteer work at the Lynbrook Public Schools Summer Playground program gave him the opportunity to act as a role model for the younger students.
Matthew, who comes from a family of six boys, also has the distinction of being a triplet. His brothers Jake and Zachary will be graduating with him this year. His brother Jordan is a freshman and his twin brothers Daniel and Kyle are seventh-graders at South Middle School. “My brothers Jake and Zach are also good students,” said Matthew. “They are very supportive of me and are proud of my accomplishments. Having triplet brothers has kept me humble during high school and their support definitely helped me achieve academic success. The whole experience of being a triplet also provided good fodder for my college application essays,” he added.
Matthew credits his father as the most influential person in his life. “He taught me about the virtue of hard work and how to respect other people,” Matthew explained. “These virtues that he instilled in me have formed the foundation of my academic and extracurricular successes in high school.”
When asked what he might change if he had it to do over, Matthew said, “I would probably have enjoyed my time in high school more and spent less time worrying about little things that, in the long run, don’t really matter.”
Matthew’s plan for his own future is to someday attend law school and pursue a career in corporate or international law. With his ability to set goals, work hard and persevere through failures, he has all the tools he needs to build a bright and successful future.

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