Meet Newfield High School’s valedictorian and salutatorian

Loui Chen

As Newfield High School valedictorian, Chen graduated with 51 college credits and an unweighted GPA of 98.12. The valedictorian also has been a member of the pit orchestra, chamber orchestra, the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra and SCMEA All-County orchestra. Athletically, he served as captain of the varsity fencing and soccer teams and helped lead the soccer team in his position as goalie to the Suffolk County League III title.

Chen said Newfield High School prepared him well for the future.

“I think the biggest lesson I took away from Newfield was being accountable for my own actions,” he said. “The teachers and coaches I’ve had have always allowed us to grow at our own pace and while they did push us to become better — a lot of the motivation had to come from ourselves as the students. They have taught us the importance of taking responsibility for our own actions and being accountable for both our successes and failures. Newfield has given us a step in the right direction, but still allowed us to take that step on our own feet so that we are able to continue walking on our own after we leave Newfield.”

Chen will attend Yale in the fall to study math, something he has loved since he was a child.

“I think I’m a very logical thinker and I love solving puzzles, so I always leaned toward math growing up,” he said. “As a major and a future career however, I am very undecided on what I want to do. The situation is more of me going to college to see what there is and see what I like rather than already knowing what I want to do. I am going with more of a blank slate and I am open to seeing all the possibilities that I may not have been exposed to in high school.”

Anaya Zaineb

Newfield High School’s salutatorian, Zaineb, graduated with nearly 40 college credits and an unweighted GPA of 98.1. Her success in AP-level courses earned her the title of AP Scholar with Distinction. She also was a member of the newspaper club, the book club, student government, environmental club, treasurer of the National Technical Honor Society, historian of the Foreign Language Honor Society and president of the National Honor Society. In addition, she was a member of the varsity fencing team, a homework helper and an assistant teacher at her Brentwood mosque.

“Attending Newfield High School has helped me find my true voice in the community,” she said. “I was presented with an abundance of clubs, activities and sports to discover myself at Newfield. The bonds I have formed with some of the teachers will forever be inseparable and have molded me into the person I am today.”

The salutatorian will be attending Stony Brook University’s eight-year dental program.

“From a young age, I always knew I wanted to study something in the medical field,” she said. “It wasn’t until volunteering and job shadowing that I discovered my true passion for dentistry. Thus, being accepted into Stony Brook’s Scholars for Dental Medicine program has been a true honor. The program’s flexibility and exposure to the dental community is perfect for my plans in becoming a dentist.”