See this year&#39;s valedictorians, salutatorians, extraordinary seniors&nbsp;and more.

Long Island

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Meet Long Island's 2022 valedictorians

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Meet Long Island's 2022 salutatorians

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LI college graduation guide: 'Class of 2022 has persevered'

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LI's graduating seniors talk about high school in a pandemic

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10 years ago, they were valedictorians. Where are they now?

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Twins in two LI school districts named valedictorian and salutatorian

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LI Class of 2022 college commitments

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She escaped gang violence, he runs a consulting business

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&quot;People who are worth having in your life will accept you for who you are.&quot; See what else Newsday&#39;s Extraordinary Seniors had to say to next year&#39;s graduating class.

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'Be authentically yourself': Advice from Newsday's Extraordinary Seniors

Smithtown

West Babylon

Bay Shore

Brookville

East Hampton

Massapequa

Floral Park

Huntington

Jericho

Baldwin

Syosset

Greenport

Plainedge

Hewlett

Newsday

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John Asbury

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had two pieces of advice for Hempstead High School’s valedictorian this week: Dream big and don’t let life pass you by. 
 Jean-Pierre, who attended Hempstead's&nbsp;Franklin elementary school, passed on the wisdom to valedictorian Daniella Marroquin in a surprise phone call. She also recorded a speech to be given at the Hempstead High commencement. 
 Jean-Pierre said she connected with Marroquin, who came from an immigrant family that sacrificed everything for their children to have a better life.&nbsp; 
 &quot;One thing I’ve learned from others, is that when you have a platform, it’s important to look back and be that person to be a mentor to someone,&quot; Jean-Pierre told Newsday. &quot;Talking to her is important to do …&nbsp;&nbsp;we want to make sure we’re talking to folks looking up to us. She’s much smarter and more incredible than I am, but her story is so familiar.&quot; 
 Marroquin was summoned to the high school Tuesday, preparing for a Newsday interview about leading her class with a 102.63 GPA, or about a 4.1, but instead had to quickly ready herself in a counselor's office for a phone call from the White House. 
 When she picked up the phone, Jean-Pierre was on the other end. 
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 “This is going to be one of the best times of your life and I’m reading about how brilliant you are,” Jean-Pierre said. 
 Jean-Pierre had reconnected with the Hempstead district after students wrote letters&nbsp;from her former elementary school, now known as Joseph A. McNeil Elementary School, which she attended for one year during fifth grade when her family moved to Hempstead.&nbsp; 
 She said she was touched after reading about her elementary school and&nbsp;receiving the stack of letters from Hempstead students. 
 &quot;When I read that, that's when it really hit me, what me being press secretary represented for young people,&quot; Jean-Pierre said. &quot;You never think grade school kids know who the White House press secretary is. The fact they know that …&nbsp;it really meant something to them. it really transcended this moment to me.&quot; 
 In her recorded commencement address Friday, Jean-Pierre thanked the students from her alma mater for reaching out to her, as well as&nbsp;teachers and staff from the district. She also celebrated graduates and noted her own historic achievements&nbsp;as the first Black and first LGBT+ press secretary, rising from the Hempstead school district. 
 Marroquin, 18, told Jean-Pierre about her plans to go to Barnard College at Columbia University to become a doctor, like her mother.&nbsp;Her mom came to the United States from El Salvador before she was born, but gave up her career as a pediatrician to be a homemaker so her children could pursue higher education. 
 Jean-Pierre asked her about the difficulties of finishing school during the pandemic. 
 “It’s not been what I expected,” Marroquin said. “Not everything went to plan. But these last few months have been more stress free and I’ve been able to reminisce a bit more, and it’s a little bittersweet and I’m excited for college.”&nbsp; 
 She then asked Jean-Pierre for advice about how to pursue her education. 
 Jean-Pierre told her try not to be discouraged or lose herself and her idealistic hopes to change the world. 
 “Follow your dreams and your passion, whatever makes you happy and you’re passionate about, go for it. Don’t worry about anything else, because I promise you, it will all work out,” Jean Pierre said. “Try to enjoy yourself too. Don’t let life pass you by. College is when you truly make friends and never lose who you are.” 
 Marroquin said after the call that she was nervous, but said it was easy to converse with Jean-Pierre. She called it&nbsp;“one of the greatest forms of recognition of her accomplishments” as valedictorian. 
 “I think it’s very inspirational because I think Hempstead itself is known as a predominantly minority, low-income community,” Marroquin said. “She’s achieved a very high position, so that’s inspirational for other Hempstead alumni as well.&quot; 
 Marroquin’s parents, teachers and principal Stephen Strachan expressed pride in Marroquin reaching her goal as valedictorian. 
 “She came in as a Freshman with a focus and a goal. She came from 8th grade and said she will be valedictorian,” Strachan said. “She remained focused and driven, even through the pandemic challenges.”

Nassau

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White House press secretary to Hempstead High valedictorian: 'Dream big'

White House press secretary to Hempstead valedictorian: 'Dream big'

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who attended Hempstead schools, surprised Daniella Marroquin, Hempstead High School valedictorian, with a phone call, offering her congratulations and words of wisdom. Newsday TV&rsquo;s Cecilia Dowd reports.

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White House Press Secretary surprises Hempstead valedictorian

Hempstead

Hempstead Town

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Dandan Zou and Jean-Paul Salamanca

The five pairs of twins have known&nbsp;each other since they were in preschool. 
 More than a dozen years later, they walked off the stage Saturday to&nbsp;cheers, capping&nbsp;off a high school life that was unlike any other. 
 Celebrating with friends and family on the lawn of&nbsp;Mattituck Jr/Sr High School following the Class of 2022's graduation ceremony, twins Julienne and Kathryn Schuch said sharing&nbsp;that&nbsp;moment with each other made it more special. 
 &quot;We're very close, and we weren't always very close, but over the past few years in high school, we got a lot closer and to be graduating with her is a very nice thing,&quot; Julienne said. 
 The twins were among 109 students&nbsp;at their small high school, and thousands of seniors across Long Island, who graduated this week following two years of pandemic learning. 
 One set of twins plans to attend college&nbsp;together.&nbsp;The eight other students will head to different colleges, excited to tread a new path on their own.&nbsp; 
 “My entire life has been like 'Jules and Kate,' ” said Julienne, 17, who will attend High Point University in North Carolina. Her sister, Kathryn, will be at Flagler College&nbsp;in Florida. 
 “You're always known for being together. Like you're not very individual. It's always just like the two of you,” Julienne said in an interview days before graduation. “So I'm excited to go out and meet friends.” 
 Nicolette Cianfrogna, 18, echoed similar sentiments. She is heading to SUNY Cortland upstate, and her sister, Isabella, to Hunter College in Manhattan. 
 “I want people to know me first and not compare me [to my sister],” Nicolette&nbsp;said. “I want to be my separate person.” 
 Twins Ariel and Kaitlin Elmore&nbsp;will attend the University at Albany&nbsp;and SUNY Oneonta, respectively.&nbsp; 
 Burke Evers will be off to SUNY Oswego, while Ethan Evers heads to&nbsp;the University of Maine. 
 Ben and Sam Dufton&nbsp;are sticking together.&nbsp;Both plan to attend the School of Music at Belmont University in Nashville. The brothers, who have had the same schedules in the past three years, will be roommates in college as well. They are also in the same band, “Audawind,” along with their older sister. 
 “I just look forward to sharing the same experiences with Sam,” said Ben, 18. “It'll be a lot of fun.” 
 While the high school had multiple sets of twin graduates in the past, Principal David Smith said five is the highest in recent memory. In 1982, there were at least four sets, he&nbsp;said. 
 “What makes this one so interesting is, as a cohort, they have been together, all 10 of them … since preschool,” he said. 
 The Mattituck-Cutchogue district is a tight-knit school community with about 1,100 students. The teenagers said they know “pretty much every single person” in their senior class, and it’s rare for them to go anywhere in town without seeing someone they know. 
 “If you go into the grocery store, there's like a 95% chance that you're going to see someone [you know],” Sam Dufton said. “I think that says a lot about our town.” 
 Over the years, some of the twins became close friends, and the bond runs deep. 
 The Cianfrognas and the Schuchs live a few streets from each other. Their mothers met at a doctor’s office before the Schuch sisters were born and they had playdates since they were little. 
 “We were born to be friends,” Julienne Schuch said. 
 Both the Schuchs and the Cianfrognas&nbsp;said&nbsp;that no matter how far apart they are, they will find a way to stay connected. 
 &quot;Ever since we were kids, we told each other that we would always keep in contact, so I would bet that out of anyone in this school, we would keep in contact with them,&quot; Kathryn Schuch said.&nbsp; 
 The Cianfrognas agreed. 
 &quot;We're going to FaceTime each other, see each other during breaks,&quot; Nicolette&nbsp;Cianfrogna said as she and her sister stood side by side after the ceremony. &quot;We're going to be more distant than usual but ... &quot; 
 &quot; ... I know we're going to get through it,&quot; Isabella Cianfrogna finished the sentence with a smile.

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'Born to be friends': 5 sets of twins graduate from Mattituck High

5 sets of twins graduate from tiny Mattituck High

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The twins have been together from preschool through Mattituck High School and graduated with a ceremony on Saturday in Mattituck. Newsday TV&#39;s Steve Langford reports.

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Meet the 5 sets of twins who have been in school together for 14 years

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Long Island 2022 high school graduations

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