Meet Glen Cove High School's valedictorian, Teresa Melfi

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Given the tribulations of the past three years for high school students amid the coronavirus pandemic, the honor of being named valedictorian has new meaning this year. And Teresa Melfi, 18, tops Glen Cove High School’s graduating class of 255, with a GPA of 105.19. 

“It was a surprise for me, because throughout my sophomore and junior year, I was at home doing virtual learning,” Melfi said. “So I wasn’t really in touch with a lot of my peers, and I wasn’t sure how … any of us were doing.”

Teresa’s mother, Lisa Melfi, said she had expected her daughter would finish at the top of the class because of her dedication over the past four years, especially when the school was shut down and classes were remote. 

“I knew that she had worked so hard and put in so much effort,” Lisa said. “Especially through the pandemic, [by] really trying to focus and keep up with the schoolwork and the online classes. So it was very exciting.” 

Frank Melfi, Teresa’s 19-year-old brother, who graduated from Glen Cove High last year and is a freshman at Binghamton University, added that he was proud of her as well. Her honor was expected, Frank said, “because she’s always working really hard in school.” 

The topic of Teresa’s graduation address is “Change is inevitable,” which she will share on June 24. She said that throughout her high school career and during the pandemic, the message the school conveyed to students was that there was always a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter the changes that were occurring around them.  

“With very supportive students and teachers and administrators, we were kind of taught that we all have the potential to succeed,” Teresa said, “as long as we work hard and endure through that.” 

Frank’s advice for his sister, as an incoming college freshman, is to keep up the hard work, because it will pay off. 

Teresa plans to attend Stony Brook University, where she will major in biology. 

“It’s definitely bittersweet,” she said. “I feel like I was walking through the doors of Glen Cove High School yesterday. It was definitely a crazy four years. Not what I expected, but it went by very fast.”

“Like Teresa, I’m a bit bittersweet,” her mother said. “She’s, my baby. So in September, I’ll be an empty nester — my husband and I will be empty nesters — and that’ll be a big change.” 

Teresa’s goal is to go to medical school to become a physician. And even though she isn’t sure what her area of specialization will be, she is excited about the journey. 

“I think once I get to medical school and I start doing those clinical rotations, it’ll be easier for me to figure out what I want to specialize in,” she said. “But as of now, just kind of keeping it general.”

“Teresa is the kind of person who perseveres,” her mother said. “She pushes herself, and she uses a lot of common sense. At the same time, she’s very calm and relaxed, and she has a great sense of humor. So I don’t think this will be a hard goal for her to achieve.”

Throughout her high school career, Lisa said, Teresa learned leadership skills from being a member of the Environmental Club, the Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society, the Math Honor Society and Mathletes. Teresa added that she would miss the high school for its diversity, which she said is a useful experience in today’s world. 

“At Glen Cove, I had this unique experience of sort of meeting with and developing respect for a lot of diverse people,” she said. “And I think that is an important skill that’s not really taught in textbooks.”

By LETISHA DASS

Special to the Glen Cove Herald

Given the tribulations of the past three years for high school students amid the coronavirus pandemic, the honor of being named valedictorian has new meaning this year. And Teresa Melfi, 18, tops Glen Cove High School’s graduating class of 255, with a GPA of 105.19. 

“It was a surprise for me, because throughout my sophomore and junior year, I was at home doing virtual learning,” Melfi said. “So I wasn’t really in touch with a lot of my peers, and I wasn’t sure how … any of us were doing.”

Teresa’s mother, Lisa Melfi, said she had expected her daughter would finish at the top of the class because of her dedication over the past four years, especially when the school was shut down and classes were remote. 

“I knew that she had worked so hard and put in so much effort,” Lisa said. “Especially through the pandemic, [by] really trying to focus and keep up with the schoolwork and the online classes. So it was very exciting.” 

Frank Melfi, Teresa’s 19-year-old brother, who graduated from Glen Cove High last year and is a freshman at Binghamton University, added that he was proud of her as well. Her honor was expected, Frank said, “because she’s always working really hard in school.” 

The topic of Teresa’s graduation address is “Change is inevitable,” which she will share on June 24. She said that throughout her high school career and during the pandemic, the message the school conveyed to students was that there was always a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter the changes that were occurring around them.  

“With very supportive students and teachers and administrators, we were kind of taught that we all have the potential to succeed,” Teresa said, “as long as we work hard and endure through that.” 

Frank’s advice for his sister, as an incoming college freshman, is to keep up the hard work, because it will pay off. 

Teresa plans to attend Stony Brook University, where she will major in biology. 

“It’s definitely bittersweet,” she said. “I feel like I was walking through the doors of Glen Cove High School yesterday. It was definitely a crazy four years. Not what I expected, but it went by very fast.”

“Like Teresa, I’m a bit bittersweet,” her mother said. “She’s, my baby. So in September, I’ll be an empty nester — my husband and I will be empty nesters — and that’ll be a big change.” 

Teresa’s goal is to go to medical school to become a physician. And even though she isn’t sure what her area of specialization will be, she is excited about the journey. 

“I think once I get to medical school and I start doing those clinical rotations, it’ll be easier for me to figure out what I want to specialize in,” she said. “But as of now, just kind of keeping it general.”

“Teresa is the kind of person who perseveres,” her mother said. “She pushes herself, and she uses a lot of common sense. At the same time, she’s very calm and relaxed, and she has a great sense of humor. So I don’t think this will be a hard goal for her to achieve.”

Throughout her high school career, Lisa said, Teresa learned leadership skills from being a member of the Environmental Club, the Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society, the Math Honor Society and Mathletes. Teresa added that she would miss the high school for its diversity, which she said is a useful experience in today’s world. 

“At Glen Cove, I had this unique experience of sort of meeting with and developing respect for a lot of diverse people,” she said. “And I think that is an important skill that’s not really taught in textbooks.”