Valedictorian: James Vinciguerra

By Emma Rathgeber and Elaine Wang

James Vinciguerra, the valedictorian of the Class of 2023, has accomplished many great feats during his time at GCHS. As one might expect, he has received many honors for his academic greatness As a junior, he won awards for excellence in AP US History and College PLTW Engineering. As a senior, he was named National Merit Finalist for scoring among the highest in the nation on the PSAT He has also won awards for excellence in classes such as English and Living Environment If that’s not enough, James has received a gold medal on the National Spanish Exam for all four years of high school. One of his favorite academic experiences was 9th grade AP Human Geography, which sparked his interest in looking at the “big picture” to help others. Despite the pandemic’s interference, he found the class to be very interesting and rewarding to understand the world better.

On top of demonstrating academic excellence, James has been a part of many outstanding extracurricular activities, ranging from student wordddddd government to athletics As the Class President for his freshman and sophomore years and as a part of the student council for all four years, James has extensive experience serving the community His efforts have resulted in concrete change, such as improvements to the boys’ locker room bathrooms. James remembers his four years with Student Council as enriching and reflective of his passion to help as many people as possible Additionally, James has played junior varsity and varsity football as a tight-end and long snapper, and fondly recalls winning two Long Island championships with the team Furthermore, he is the president of the Economics Club and a member of the Stock Market Club and Views of the Village Club

Finally, James advises underclassmen to always try their best “Whatever you do, whatever you’re tasked with doing…I’d say do it as best as you can, as hard as you can, even things you don't necessarily like, because you never know when it will serve you. And even if it doesn't, word there is a sense of accomplishment that comes with just putting in a good effort ” He also stresses the importance of balancing work with relaxation to maximize performance and values time with friends and having a strong support system James looks forward to continuing his education at Villanova University, an institution he picked for its liveliness and prestigious business school. His passion for connecting with the community and helping others extends to the future, as he plans to major in economics to improve his understanding of the world as a whole to help others Congratulations, and we wish all the best to James!