Malverne High School announced its top two graduates last week, naming Dayami Guaman valedictorian and Lorraine Akou salutatorian. Guaman will graduate with a grade point average of 105.14, and Akou has a GPA of 104.23.
Principal Dr. Kesha Bascome congratulated the two in a statement last Friday. “These two outstanding students continue a tradition of excellence that we value deeply at Malverne,” she said, “setting a meaningful example for others to follow and reflecting our promise that every student is seen and supported.”
Dayami Guaman
Guaman, 17, created the high school’s Youth in Medicine program, a “pre-pre-med” program for students interested in studying medicine. She also helped create the Martin Luther King Day of Service in 2024 and is a member of the Key Club.
In addition to her community service, Guaman is a member of the National Honor Society and the secretary of the senior class’s student government. She also competes on the girls’ varsity tennis team.
Guaman is a first-generation American citizen, so she takes pride in placing at the top of her class.
“This is a huge achievement for me,” she said. “My parents are elated for me. They told me this shows that all my hard work throughout high school and even middle school has paid off.”
Guaman said she wants her peers to understand that academic success is not due solely to natural intelligence.
“It obviously wasn’t easy. Not everyone sees the challenges,” she said. “They think it’s natural talent. They don’t see the balancing of schoolwork and extracurriculars or the sacrifice of free time.”
Lorraine Akou
Akou, 17, is president of Malverne’s National Honor Society and on the executive board of the school’s service club. She helps run fundraisers and connect students with community service opportunities. She also helped coordinate the Martin Luther King Day of Service.
Akou is a member of the Black choir, the saxophone section leader for the marching band and the captain of the girls’ varsity tennis team. She is also an administrative officer for Malverne’s Model United Nations. Malverne High attended Nassau County’s second annual Model U.N. conference and hosted its own in April 2025.
Akou credited her family for pushing her. “I was driven by the encouragement from my parents, but I realized along the way that I really wanted this for myself,” she said. “I can now say that I accomplished this for myself.”
She was valedictorian of her 8th grade class. “Being valedictorian or finishing top two was a goal of mine, but it wasn’t my only goal coming into high school,” she said. “I’m happy it pushed me to where I am today, but I realized that there’s more to be proud of in life.”
Future Plans
Guaman and Akou both received QuestBridge National College Match Scholarships, earning them full four-year scholarships to Johns Hopkins University and Emory University, respectively. They were two of 2,550 finalists chosen from a pool of about 21,000 applicants from across the country. The scholarships will cover the entire cost of their undergraduate education, including tuition, housing and books.
Guaman has committed to Johns Hopkins on a premed track, planning to double major in molecular biology and public health. Her goal is to practice obstetrics and gynecology.
“I love science, and I love to help people,” she said. “I’m looking forward to meeting new people and starting at Johns Hopkins.”
Akou will also be on a premed track at Emory University, majoring in neuroscience. “I bet my parents are glad my undergrad is free,” she said.
She plans to become a neuroradiologist, and is interested in understanding the neuroplasticity, or growth potential, of the brain. “I want to truly understand the thing that controls every human being,” she said.
Both seniors take pride in more than their academic achievements, and say they believe their achievements are springboards to future success. They are aware of how they inspire their classmates and underclassmen, and are proud that they can leave high school knowing they set an example.
“I believe I’m an example of how staying determined and treating everything you do with love works out in the end,” Guaman said. “It warms my heart when people are proud of me and want to learn from the examples I set.”
“I am a big sister to my younger brother, but I also feel like a big sister to my younger friends,” Akou said. “Every time I doubted myself, I thought back to my friend telling me that there’s always someone wondering how I do it all.”
