Freeport's top scholars heading to City College

Valedictorian and Salutatorian excited about the future

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Wrapping up the state Regents exams last Friday, Freeport High School seniors Kimberly Serna and Karissa Collins lounged outside the school’s main office, laughing and chatting. No doubt, they had earned the brief respite: On Monday, they will finish Freeport High as the school’s valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively.

As their senior year drew to a close, the native Freeporters were gearing up to dress up in their gowns and mortarboards and graduate from Freeport High. At that point, many students will go their separate ways, but not Serna and Collins. They say they are excited to attend the City College of New York together starting this fall. They will not be rooming together, but their dorms will be nearby each other.

Serna said she looked forward to graduation. She lives on the north side of Freeport with her mother, Luz Medina, a Colombian immigrant who moved to Freeport before her daughter was born. Serna said that growing up in a single-parent home wasn’t always easy, but from her mother, she learned the importance of hard work and commitment to her studies.

“It was hard when I was little because my mom didn’t understand a lot of the subjects, though she speaks both Spanish and English, and she still has an accent,” Serna said. “When it came to the subjects like math or science, it was different in comparison to how they teach in Colombia. It was hard for her to teach or help, so I had to teach myself and learn in class.”

Aside from excelling in her academics, Serna was an athlete who swam in the fall, played basketball in the winter and softball in the spring. She also took part in the music and Mathletes programs, volunteered as a peer leader, served in the student government, and was a member of the national, math and science honor societies. In the fall, she will attend City College’s Sophie Davis Medical Program in the hope of one day becoming a doctor.

“Freeport High School has brought us a lot of good memories and taught us a lot of good things. Our academics, our sports, our music... I feel so equipped for college,” Serna said.

Collins, salutatorian, was accepted in the Macaulay Honors College at CCNY and said she is excited to start her studies in civil engineering. She grew up near the Nautical Mile and is the second of three Collins children to graduate from Freeport High. She is the daughter of Doris and Nick Collins.

“I’m going to miss my teachers,” Collins said, tearing up. “I’m especially going to miss my guidance counselor, Ms. [Blanca] Tapia. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry. She has been such a big help to me throughout high school. She was always there for me. Even if I came crying to her office because I was upset about something, she’d listen. She’s been with me through everything.”

Collins played soccer for the Freeport High team and for a Baldwin travel squad year-round. She was also president of the peer leaders group, treasurer of the National Honor Society and a member of the math and science honor societies.

“I don’t know how it’s going to be at City, but I know it’s a diverse school. That’s the reason I picked it,” Collins shared. “Growing up in Freeport, I feel like I have been blessed to grow up in a community of so many cultures and so many people who are so accepting. I’m a little scared about going out to the city — New York City — but I know there’s so much I am excited about.”