Peter F. Vallone, Harold Levy, Ernesto Quiñonez and Thalia Assuras Featured Speakers for Top Achievers

New York City, June 12, 2001 -- The New York Public Library celebrated the achievements  of New York City’s public high school valedictorians at the 19th annual Minerva Awards for Excellence in Scholarship ceremony held today at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. The 122 honorees were welcomed by New York Public Library President, Dr. Paul LeClerc, New York City Council Speaker Peter Vallone, New York City Board of Education Chancellor Harold Levy,  CBS news anchor Thalia Assuras, and author Ernesto Quiñonez.

The awards, named for the Roman goddess of wisdom, recognize the superior academic accomplishments of the top public high school students from the five boroughs of New York City. This year’s collection of success stories includes students from diverse ethnic, economic, and racial backgrounds, each with unique interests both inside and outside of the classroom.

Many of the valedictorians are not American born. Their birthplaces include: Albania, Bosnia, China, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, the Ukraine, West Indies, Jamaica, Hong Kong, Oman, Kazákhstan, Pakistan, Mexico, Russia, Senegal, Ecuador, Panama, India and Bangladesh.

In addition to achieving academic excellence, many Class of 2001 valedictorians have hobbies and interests that range from jujitsu to star gazing. These students have worked at libraries, hospitals, concert halls, community newspapers, department stores, and dental offices. Many have given back to their communities by participating in peer tutoring and literacy programs, translating for non-English speaking patients in doctor’s offices, visiting the elderly in nursing homes, or volunteering in soup kitchens and veterinary practices.

Many of the valedictorians hope for interesting futures: Raj Ahsan, who was born in the Ukraine, is currently writing his own Science/Fantasy novel. He plans to be a primary care physician and serve in an under-served and under-represented area of New York state. Merima Jakirlic, who was born in Bosnia, says “I want to enter a career in journalism because too many stereotypes exist and need to be removed.”  And Wang Qiao Jing, from China, says “I think what kind of job I will do is not very important. The most important thing is in which way I can serve people as well as I can.”

“We give out these Minerva Awards not just to recognize what the valedictorians have already done, but to encourage them to do even more as they leave high school,” said Paul LeClerc.  “We want to assure them that academic accomplishment is recognized and valued. Judging by the number of valedictorians who have helped their fellow students and communities, I can see that they want to share their joy of learning.”

In addition to receiving certificates of merit, students were presented with two tickets each to the New York Mets baseball game on Tuesday, June 19; a collection of books donated by four publishers: Bodega Dreams, by Ernesto Quiñonez (Vintage Books), The American Heritage Dictionary (Houghton Mifflin, Company) Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia (BOOKSPAN); Stay Strong: Simple Life Lessons for Teens, by Terrie Williams (Scholastic), and Freud: Darkness in the Midst of Vision, by Louis Breger (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.).

Support for the Minerva Awards generously provided by Houghton Mifflin Company, publishers of The American Heritage Dictionary.

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A color photo of the valedictorians on the steps of the Library and photos of the students grouped by  borough are available. Please call Public Relations at (212) 221-7676 to request prints for publication.
 
 

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