Hoboken High School Valedictorian And Salutatorian Reveal College Choices

HOBOKEN, NJ — This year's highest achievers at Hoboken High School — the valedictorian and salutatorian — are Amalia Batlle and Madison Walia-Peters.

The school released a list of their achievements, and their future college choice, this week.

Amalia Battle

Amalia Battle finished 15 Advanced Placement courses. This fall, she will attend the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business to study Business Analytics.

She's an AP Scholar with Distinction, an AP Capstone Diploma recipient, and holds the NJ Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish.

She has received multiple awards, including an Honorable Mention at the 2024 International Paris Model UN competition (a college-level event), the Merit Award for Service in 2024, and a Merit Award at the 2024 National High School Model UN. She was named Best Delegate at the 2023 Harvard Model Congress Europe and has received Honorable Mentions at both the 2024 and 2022 Harvard Model Congress events in San Francisco.

In addition to these accomplishments, she holds leadership roles in various clubs, including President of the Spanish Honor Society, co-captain of the Debate Team, and Secretary of Best Buddies.

She also established a peer tutoring program at Hoboken High. Through this program, Amalia paired academically excelling students with peers who needed extra help, which led to improved study habits, completed assignments, and better test performances. Her love for leadership and problem-solving has also been fueled by her childhood hobby of creating small businesses, such as making slime and bracelets.

These experiences, combined with her leadership in organizing a free tutoring service at her school, have inspired her to pursue a career in business.

“I love projects surrounding leadership and how to solve real-world problems,” Amalia said. “It’s about making a real impact.”

Amalia attended Hoboken Dual Language Charter School (Hola) before Hoboken High.

Madison Walia-Peters

Madison Walia-Peters has been named the Class of 2025 salutatorian after completing 16 AP courses. She will attend Harvard University this fall to study Anthropology on a pre-med track.

She has represented the Hoboken School District at Princeton and Harvard Model Congress, as well as Saint Peter’s Model UN. A Governor’s STEM Scholar and Co-Captain of the Varsity Volleyball Team, she has also made significant contributions to student advocacy.

In 2022, she co-authored an open letter in support of a $240 million bond referendum to fund a modern high school facility. She later founded the Health and Wellness Subcommittee of Student Government, launching initiatives on mental health, suicide prevention, and teen wellness.

Her academic achievements include second Place in the U.S. Physics Olympiad, Honorable Mention in the U.S. Biology Olympiad, and recognition as a Stevens Institute of Technology Scholar. She was Hoboken’s highest-scoring student in the NJ Math League and is a National Merit Scholar. She also earned the AP Scholar with Distinction award, the AP Capstone Diploma, and was recently named a semifinalist for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program—one of the country’s highest honors for high school students.

Madison is a published student researcher whose scholarly work explores the intersection of adolescent health, behavior, and environmental factors. Her article, "The Price of Calm: How Socioeconomic Stressors Shape High School Student Well-Being," published in the Journal of Student Research (JSR), analyzes the correlation between socioeconomic status (SES) and the mental and emotional well-being of high school students, shedding light on how economic and social pressures can impact student health.

In another peer-reviewed piece, "The Impact of Habitual Caffeine Consumption on Working Memory in High School Students: A Quasi-Experimental Study," featured in Vanderbilt’s Young Scientist Journal, Madison examines how regular caffeine intake affects working memory in adolescents.

In addition to her writing, Madison has served as a research assistant at Stevens Institute of Technology, working with graduate students in biomechanics on a project analyzing data and contributing to a scholarly study.

Madison was a student in the Hoboken Public School District since kindergarten.

She said, “Hoboken High School gave me the chance to grow not just academically, but as a leader, an advocate, and a teammate. I’m grateful for the support of my administrators, teachers, coaches, and peers—and I’m excited to take what I’ve learned here and continue making a difference in the world.”

For more information about Hoboken High School, visit www.hoboken.k12.nj.us.