By Ian Hugo – Sports Editor  

Senior Emma Shea has been named salutatorian of the Jonathan Law Class of 2016.

Shea, an active member of the Law community, was officially given the title of Jonathan Law Class of 2016 salutatorian at the senior scholarship awards ceremony last Wednesday.

“I’ve never met another student with the work ethic that Emma has,” English teacher girls tennis coach Mr. Kulenych said. “She expects to be the best at everything she does and that drive and determination has helped her get where she is today.”

Shea, who accumulated an impressive 4.6147 GPA over her four years at Law, achieved this feat while simultaneously balancing a smorgasbord of other time consuming activities on her plate, so to speak.

“It has been tough to manage everything because I do so many sports (Soccer, Indoor Track, Tennis) and activities (National Honor Society, Science Club, Model United Nations, Keyettes) throughout the year,” Shea said. “With long practices and games/meets/matches, I come home exhausted.”

Although Shea has found time to fit everything into her packed schedule, she admits she does tend to procrastinate now and again. However, she always gets whatever she’s working on done, no matter the cost.

“Honestly, I can be a major procrastinator, but because I care a lot about turning in a well-done assignment, I always seem to get my work done, though this might involve pulling an occasional all-nighter,” Shea said. “I manage to complete my work because although I procrastinate, I prioritize my work: I’ll work on homework first, but if I have a little extra time, I might begin an assignment due at a later date. When it comes to studying for important tests, I try to first get all my study materials and notes organized, and then I just buckle down to study, often for hours at a time.”

Shea says that her hard work in the classroom can be pinned down to simply being a habit for her.

“I have always seemed to work hard and do my best in school, and now, that’s me,” Shea said.

Shea says that her parents and sisters have always been there for her these past four years, whether to motivate her, help her focus, praise her, give her advice, or simply to let her vent when she needs to. Shea says that her parents have always encouraged her to be who she is and do what she likes for the right reasons.

“Sometimes, if we happen to be discussing grades, my dad has told me that he wouldn’t mind if I got a C or if I got an A,” Shea said. “Although of course he wants me to do my best, he and my mom think that it is important that I am motivated intrinsically; my motivation shouldn’t be to please them or to please others. It needs to come from within.”

Shea, who has taken 11 AP classes the past four years ranging from AP Chemistry to AP Psychology, has some advice for underclassmen looking to emulate her achievements.

“Take as many challenging classes as you can handle (mentally, emotionally, physically),” Shea said. “However, I believe the goal is to challenge yourself, to be successful, and to reach your potential as a student. The difficulty of courses will vary for each person and it can be definitely tricky to manage your time.”

Shea will be majoring in biology with a concentration in either neuroscience or genetics next year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and hopes to do research in one of their many labs, or possibly conduct some research of her own.

As for her post-grad plans, Shea already has an idea for what she sees herself doing.

“I see myself attending medical school after college, possibly to become a neurologist or some kind of surgeon, but I haven’t completely decided yet,” Shea said.

Shea has received many awards and honors over her four years of high school. They include: High Honors (9, 10, 11, 12), AP Scholar with Distinction (11), Harvard Book Award (11), Letter of Commendation National Merit Scholarship (11), President’s Education Awards Program (12), NHS Award (12), Advanced Placement Biology Academic Achievement (12), Advanced Placement Literature and Composition Academic Achievement (12), Latin Academic Achievement (9, 10, 11), Spanish Academic Achievement (10, 11), Geometry Academic Achievement (10), English Academic Achievement (9), History Academic Achievement (9), All Academic Team (Soccer, Indoor Track, Tennis all four years), and SCC Scholar-Athlete of the Spring this year.

Shea had one final word of wisdom for underclassmen looking to do well throughout the rest of their high school careers:

“I would encourage students to make school a priority, to challenge themselves, and to try your best in all that they do,” Shea said.