Ashley Vincenzo, a senior at The Wheatley School in Old...

Ashley Vincenzo, a senior at The Wheatley School in Old Westbury, placed first in the high school category of the New York State Archives' 2019 Student Research Awards. Credit: The Wheatley School

A student from The Wheatley School in Old Westbury has been named a top winner in a statewide research competition.

Ashley Vincenzo, a senior, placed first in the high school category of the New York State Archives' 2019 Student Research Awards. The annual competition, which is open to grades 4-12, encourages students to explore historical records held in cultural institutions and records repositories across the state.

Vincenzo's research explored how the coup staged by the United States and Great Britain to remove the Iranian Premier in 1953 led to poor relations between the United States and Iran. She created a website that made use of various primary sources and placed the events in the broader context of the Cold War.

She was awarded a $200 cash prize for her win.

"It's really nice to have your work recognized," said Vincenzo, 17, who conducted her research under the direction of Wheatley librarian Jo Beth Roberts. "This is a topic you really don't learn much in school."

Second place in the high school category went to Aarya Ayarnial, Abhinav Goyal, Aditya Lodha and Prameet Shah  of Herricks High School, while third place went to Rahul Ajmera  of The Wheatley School.

"We're proud to celebrate these students' outstanding use of primary sources to hone their skills at research, critical thinking and analyzing information," interim state Education Commissioner Beth Berlin said.

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