Congratulations to the PSLA at Fowler Class of 2023 Valedictorian & Salutatorian!

We're so proud of our soon-to-be Class of 2023 #SCSDGraduates! This week, we're excited to share more about each of our high school Valedictorians and Salutatorians. Today, learn about PSLA at Fowler's top two scholars - and stay tuned as we feature the Valedictorian and Salutatorian from Henninger tomorrow.

PSLA Valedictorian – Joseph Carmosino

What are your plans after graduation (what college, what interest in terms of major)?
I plan to attend RIT where I’ll be studying cybersecurity. I’ll be in the accelerated BA/MA program which will allow me to graduate with my Masters degree in five years. I ultimately hope to pursue a career in cybersecurity. I’ve always been interested in computers, and I’ve been in the Cybersecurity CTE program. The field interests me a lot!
 
What activities have you been involved in outside of class/outside of school? Superintendent’s Student Cabinet, Student Council, Community Wide Dialogue
 
What has been the best part of your high school career and why? The best part of high school for me was learning life lessons. I feel like the connections we have with our teachers here in the SCSD is the biggest advantage of our district. I found that I could go to any of my teachers about school issues or non-school issues, and they would always help me and just support me in life.  
 
What was your proudest moment in high school? My proudest moment in high school was learning that I’m Valedictorian. My mother never graduated from high school, so I feel like I’m doing it for her. Seeing her face when I told her made me so proud.  
 
What are you most looking forward to about college? What I’m most looking forward to about college is meeting new people, gaining new connections, and extending my expertise within the field I hope to go into.
 
What’s the best thing you’ve learned over the course of your time in the SCSD? The best thing I’ve learned is that I have teachers who actually care about me. Having good connections with teachers has been huge, because they have helped me in so many ways.
 
What advice would you give to other students as they continue their studies here? Focus on your work, and apply yourself even if you feel like you can’t do something. You’ll learn from your mistakes, and you’ll gain knowledge in doing it!
 
What is something major you hope to achieve in life? I want to be comfortable enough in life to be able to buy my mom a house and support her.

PSLA Salutatorian – Gato Iratuze

What are your plans after graduation (what college, what interest in terms of major)?
I plan to attend Clarkson University, where I’ll be studying Mechanical Engineering. I hope to be a Mechanical Designer one day. I really enjoy the ability to do things with my hands and work as part of a team.
 
What activities have you been involved in outside of class/outside of school? Erie21 at Le Moyne College and GenCyber at Le Moyne College
 
What has been the best part of your high school career and why? The best part of high school has been the people I’ve met and the friends I’ve made. There may not be a lot of them, but they’ve been there to help me out and guide me through life. They’ve really made a difference.
 
What was your proudest moment in high school? My proudest moment was when I was given the news that I’m Salutatorian. I still remember the day I was told! It felt like all my hard work for the last four years has paid off. It made all the stress worth it.
 
What are you most looking forward to about college? I’m looking forward to learning about life, meeting new people, and gaining more skills that will help me get a good job and have a good future.
 
What’s the best thing you’ve learned over the course of your time in the SCSD? The best thing I’ve learned is the importance of making good choices. I’ve learned that you’ll meet positive influences and negative influences, but the way you behave as a person is what determines your future success. It’s up to you to make the decision on who you stay with and who you leave behind.
 
What advice would you give to other students as they continue their studies here? My advice is don’t be afraid to ask for help. Asking for help allows you to be able to gain knowledge you didn’t have before, so you can help yourself. I’d also say never take your time for granted – use your time wisely. When you’re given a chance to do better, take it. And grades are important, but don’t forget to make time for the friends who will help keep you motivated.
 
What is something major you hope to achieve in life? I hope to be able to have a good paying job that will allow me to support my family. I want to be proud of myself as a person and have no regrets.