Garden City HS Names 2022 Valedictorian And Salutatorian

GARDEN CITY, NY — Garden City High School has announced the top students of the class of 2022: valedictorian Emma Nagler and salutatorian Aidan Wu.

Nagler earned a number of academic accolades and honors during her time at Garden City High School. She was named a National Merit Finalist with a perfect PSAT score, an AP Scholar with Distinction and received many recognitions and awards of excellence in various subjects including American history, chemistry, English, environmental science, Italian and world history. In addition, she received the American Chemical Society Award and the Rensselaer Medal Award for her outstanding achievement in the sciences. Nagler has taken 13 Advanced Placement courses at Garden City High School and self-studied for three additional exams. She said that AP chemistry was her favorite high school experience, which inspired her to pursue chemistry at the college level.

Nagler is involved in a number of extracurricular clubs and activities. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Italian Honor Society and Tri-M Music Honor Society. She plays clarinet for an invitation-only band, the highest level of band at the high school, and was named an All-County band participant five times. She founded and serves as president of the Pre-Health Careers club, is treasurer of the Italian Club and a member of the Chemistry Club.

Outside of school, Nagler dances at The Lynch School of Ballet. She has been pre-professional ballet training for 14 years and has participated in multiple lead and supporting roles in full-length ballet productions. She serves the larger Garden City community through volunteering at the public library, providing private clarinet and piano lessons, and is currently enrolled in an EMT training course. She was accepted into the Perry Initiative program in February 2020, which is a program for female high school students interested in the field of orthopedic surgery.

Nagler will be attending Harvard University in the fall, where she plans to major in chemistry on the pre-med track. She hopes to become an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in dance injuries. At Harvard, Nagler will continue dancing and performing as a member of the Harvard Ballet Company.

Salutatorian Aidan Wu’s academic achievements have earned him various honors over the years. Most recently, he was named a National Merit Finalist for his performance on the PSAT.

Additionally, Wu has received excellence and achievement awards in chemistry and physics as well as recognitions from academic competitions and contests including the Long Island Science Congress, Chemagination and math research. He has taken a total of 10 AP courses throughout his time at Garden City High School and is an active member of the National Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society and Tri-M Music Honor Society.

Wu’s involvement in the chamber orchestra and orchestra has led to All-County and Long Island String Festival Association honors. He is the co-president of the Debate Club, the vice president of the Robotics Club and Stock Market Club, and the treasurer of Paws for a Cause. He also serves as a member of the Chemistry Club, GIDAS Club and Students Helping Students. Additionally, he played on the Garden City High School tennis and fencing teams, and a travel baseball team.

Outside of school, Wu is a mIRcore volunteer, participating in research about different diseases and bioinformatics. He has previously been a Camp Invention counselor, introduced younger students to coding through the Kids for Code program and helped distribute food to people in need on a weekly basis with the Community Solidarity Food Drive.

After graduation, Wu hopes to pursue his interest in engineering and robotics by majoring in mechanical engineering in college.