One team captain and one integral member of the student-led nonprofit Mission Toothbrush graduated at the top of their class June 30.
Elizabeth Wang and Kelsey Ge are Ward Melville High School Class of 2019’s valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively.
Elizabeth Wang
Wang, who graduated with a 105.91 grade point average, has attended school in the Three Village Central School District since kindergarten. She attended both Setauket and W.S. Mount elementary schools and P.J. Gelinas Junior High School.
The valedictorian was a member of the girls varsity lacrosse team, and she was the captain of both the varsity field hockey and varsity girls fencing team. Off the playing field, she was president of DECA, editor-in-chief of the school literary magazine Cinnabar, head news editor of the school newspaper Kaleidoscope and confirmation teacher at St. James Lutheran Church.
Wang, who took 12 AP classes in Ward Melville, said the school prepared her well for her future.
“Ward Melville High School offers a variety of different courses, electives and extracurriculars,” she said. “It’s the perfect opportunity to try new things and learn what interests you, what you enjoy and what you may be good at. I think I learned a lot about myself by experimenting with different things at Melville.”
This fall, Wang will be attending Harvard University, where she will major in neuroscience.
“My dream career would be something that combines medical research, patient care and teaching,” Wang said. “I like the analysis in the research setting, the practical application in the clinical setting and the interactive aspect of teaching.”
Kelsey Ge
Ge graduated Ward Melville with a weighted GPA of 105.40. While she started in the Three Village Central School District at Arrowhead Elementary School, in fourth grade, she switched to W.S. Mount elementary for the Intellectually Gifted program. During her high school years, she took on 12 AP classes, two of which were college-level math courses.
She was involved in Model U.N., DECA, the math team and International Cultures Club. Outside of school, she has been the president of Mission Toothbrush since 2017. The student-led nonprofit organization collects hygiene supplies to donate to local charities and shelters. She also teaches an origami class for children at Stony Brook Chinese School.
Like Wang, Ge said she feels her years in the Three Village school district have prepared her for her future endeavors.
“The teachers and staff at Ward Melville are incredibly supportive and work hard to ensure that students are granted every opportunity to succeed, both in and out of the classroom,” she said. “They help students improve not just academically, but also as individuals prepared to face challenges in the future.”
The salutatorian is planning to attend Harvard University. While she hopes to major in economics, she said she is also interested in psychology, statistics and computer science.
The future looks wide open for Ge.
“Although I’m not sure exactly what my dream career looks like, I hope to work together with people with diverse interests,” she said.
