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Health & Fitness

For the first UAIS graduating class, the road less traveled proved the best choice

Utica Academy of International Studies holds its first commencement cermonies

To the applause of families, friends and faculty, the 97 members of the first graduating class of the Utica Academy for International Studies crossed the stage to receive their diplomas at the school’s June 5 commencement ceremony at the Henry Ford II High School Performing Arts Center.

In addition to counting 19 valedictorians, three salutatorians and 52 National Honor Society members among their ranks, the UAIS Class of 2012 will forever be known as academic pioneers.

That’s because the world-renowned program they chose to begin four years ago as freshmen had just come into being within Utica Community Schools with funding from a federal grant.

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The students have remained true to their class motto: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” from Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken. 

They came ready to tackle a very different and rigorous high school curriculum designed to give them a greater understanding of the world and their role within it as creative thinkers and caring citizens.

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After completing two years of enhanced ninth and tenth grade college preparatory courses, UAIS juniors and seniors engage in the globally recognized International Baccalaureate Diploma program.

In addition to English, foreign language, social sciences, laboratory sciences, mathematics and fine arts, the IB curriculum requires student candidates to complete additional hours in Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) and Theory of Knowledge (TOK), plus an extensive research project and extended essay in order to achieve an International Baccalaureate diploma, recognized by the best universities world-wide. 

Commencement speaker Joshua Barthel – who will attend Harvard University to study linguistics and government – reminded his classmates of lessons learned during their IB experience. “Don’t settle,” he said. “For it would be a shame for any of us to emerge from this environment of international cooperation and free inquiry to stand idly by when injustice surfaces.”

Senior Ognenka Avramovska encourages younger students to consider the UAIS program for high school. “It expanded my global understanding,” she said. “I was also able to build really strong relationships here. It’s an experience you can’t get anywhere else.”

The pioneer class has indeed done very well. Among them are six National Merit scholars and a Merit scholarship winner. In total they’ve earned more than $3.6 million in scholarships with more expected. With a class composite GPA of 3.6, they’ve been accepted to the state’s top colleges and universities plus institutions such as Harvard, Duke, University of Chicago, NYU, Cornell and Ohio State.

Over the past four years, they’ve captured myriad awards including FIRST Robotics world qualifiers, Michigan Quiz Bowl finalists, Japanese Quiz Bowl state champions, second place in the Michigan Chinese Quiz Bowl, National Security Language Initiative full scholarship winners, top speaker at the Michigan Interscholastic Forensic Association state finals and the only Diamond-level Key Club in Michigan. Also in the class are accomplished athletes, award winning thespians and state-recognized musicians.

Community service is a big component of the IB program, and here the Class of 2012 also excelled – packaging 12,857 meals for Kids Against Hunger and raising more than $30,000 for Relay for Life in the course of logging more that 14,500 service hours.

“Her choice to come here was certainly worth it,” said UAIS parent Carol Marck of her daughter Katlyn Marck, a graduating senior who will major in biology on scholarship at the University of Cincinnati.

“He’s learned so much here,” added Preet Gill, mother of senior Anishpal Gill who will attend Michigan State’s Broad School of Business. She said the smaller size of the IB high school enabled her son to “come out of his shell and step into leadership.”

UAIS program director Tom Lietz said this group of students “faced every challenge we put before them and exceeded our expectations. They set the bar incredibly high for the classes to come.
The students, parents, teachers and community came together to realize what, at one point, was a far away dream.”

Below are this year's graduates from UAIS:

Jessica Renee Arab
Ognenka Avramovska 1 3 4 SCL
Joshua Connor Barthel 1 3 4 SCL
Dana Basal 3 4 SCL
Tyler Douglas Betthauser 
Emily Taylor Boehm 4
Rachel Ann Braum 1 3 4 SCL
Kimberlyn Ann Brown 1 3 4 SCL
Nolan Trevor Brown 3 4 MCL
Sandra Bugariu 1 3 4 SCL
David Loyal Cai 1 3 4 SCL
Belinda Vicki Cheng 3 4 CL
Sana Chishti 4
Salwa Choudhury 1 3 4 SCL
Michelle Chow 3 4 SCL
Brett Joseph Cimino 3 4 MCL
Carla Maria Victoria Ciora 3 4 MCL
India Ageé Clay 4
Rachel Simone Collis 3 4 CL
Roma Flora Cusumano 1 3 4 SCL
Eleanore Alexandra Dara 4 MCL
Danielle Nicole Deprez 4 
Kamela Devole
Neil Amish Dharia 4 
Nicola James Fiorvento 4 
Juana Gasso 2 3 4 SCL
Anishpal Singh Gill 3 4 MCL
Matthew James Gira 3 4 SCL
Emma Erin Gougeon 4 CL
Emily Chandler Graves 1 3 4 SCL
Mauricio Guzman 1 3 4 SCL
Olivia Marlenea Hampton 4 
Rachel Elizabeth Hensley 3 4 MCL
Jonghye Hong 3 4 SCL
Sherine Susan Jacob 3 4 SCL
Shruti Jha 1 3 4 SCL
Michelle Myrna Kattula 4 
Isabel Rebekah Kinney 4 
John Alphonse Kruse
Eric Lawrence Krysinski 4 MCL
Austin Shaji Kurian 4
John Luis Lis 1 3 4 SCL
Rachel Medelia Lock 3 4 SCL
Brianna Grace Lombardini 4
Marisa Blaire Lombardo 3 4 MCL
Erin McGuire Maki 3 4 MCL
Adam Mitchell Maksymetz 4
Katlyn Mikaela Marck 4 CL
Klaudia Mastela 3 4 MCL
Shobi Phillip Mathew 3 4 MCL
Terra Marie Matthews 4
Jordan Marguerite Mevorach 
Caroline Ayako Mizuki 3 4 MCL
Lauren Michelle Morawski 1 3 4 SCL
Chad Alexander Moyer 3 4 MCL
Marcelina Katarzyna Muszczynska 4 
Melanie Diana Nieske 3 4 CL
Victoria Ann Marie Pace 3 4 MCL
Brittany Lyn Parr 3 4
Taylor Marie Patrash 3 4 MCL
Olivia Accamma Philip 3 4 CL
Nicole Valerie Pittman 1 3 4 SCL
Leanne Marie Pregizer 4
William Yee Qing 1 4 SCL
Shahbaz Singh Randhawa 4
Allie Therese Richardson1 3 4 SCL
Samantha Lynn Ross 4 
Priya Ann Sam 3 4 MCL
Olivia Rachele Sargent 4 
Pratik Satapathy 4 
Deanna Schafer 4 CL
Samantha Nicole Schneider 4 
Joseph Callistus Schroder 2 3 4 SCL
Harkaran Singh 4 
Jae Martin Smith 
Michael Lawrence Snider 4
Kyle Andre St Peter
Allison Stankov 4
Christopher Lee Stark 4 
Christina Sudyk 1 3 4 SCL
Marysa Ann Sutton 4 
Margaret Ellen Syms 3 4 SCL
Kimberly Anne Szarama 4 
Nicole Paige Szarama 4 
Kevin Joseph Teller 4 
Feba Mary Thomas 1 3 4 SCL
Hannah Christine Thomas 4 
Robin Thomas 4 
Lukasz Krystian Walilko 3 4 MCL
Corinne LuAnn Wallace 2 3 4 SCL
Noelle Christine Williams 3 4 MCL
Amy Caitlyn Wojcik 3 4 MCL
Chao Yi Wu 3 4 SCL
Zachary John Wyrzykowski 4 MCL
Matthew Robert Yasso 1 3 4 SCL
Nicholas Paul Zajciw 3 4 SCL
Arianna Zannetti 3 4 CL

 

Total # of Graduates: 97

Legend:
1=Valedictorian
2=Salutatorian
3=National Honors Society
4=IB Full Diploma Candidate
Summa Cum Laude (SCL) = 3.9 and above
Magna Cum Laude (MCL) = 3.7—3.89
Cum Laude (CL) = 3.5—3.69

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