RICHMOND — If valedictorian Alana Healy and congratulatory speaker Abigail Fagen have one thing in common, it’s a love of science.
Chariho High School’s top students of 2023, Healy and Fagen, have forged different paths to graduation. Healy lives in the West and chose to attend Chariho specifically to be part of her healthcare career path. Fagen, on the other hand, is an avid vocalist, actress, and outdoors enthusiast, and she dreams of following in her father’s footsteps as a chemist.
Charijo Principal Andrea Spas, both of whom excel academically and are deeply involved in the school community, show what can be achieved by setting high goals and working hard to achieve them. He said he was a role model.
“They’ve been very focused and dedicated to their interests,” Spas said. “Both of them have specific areas they want to study in STEM fields, and there is no question that Alana and Abigail will do well in post-secondary education.”
Healy and Fagen, both 17 years old, were able to set themselves apart from their classmates simply by following their dreams. They were honored in April when it became clear where they each stood in the class standings.
According to Spas, the two women are on different trajectories when it comes to post-secondary pathways and career aspirations, but the self-motivated and active members of the school community each have a list of achievements worthy of recognition. is being constructed.
Alumni Valedictorian Alana Healy
The youngest of two children, David and Susan Healy, who live in Westerly, Alana attended Dunn’s Corners Elementary School and Westerly Middle School before moving to Chariho four years ago to enter the healthcare field. changed school.
Dreaming of working as a clinical surgeon or in the field of neurology, she found that the program at Chariho offered more hands-on experience than she could afford, leaving many of her friends behind in the decision to switch school districts. said to be connected.
“When I was in middle school, I already knew I wanted to go into medicine,” she said in an interview last week. “I loved my time at school and had fun with my friends, but Westerly didn’t have the same kind of program and I wanted to do something to get ahead. I felt like I was given a chance.”
School counselor Lauren Martinez said Healy made the most of her opportunity at Chariho and raised the bar for herself and the students around her.
Throughout high school, Healy remained active outside the classroom. She was a member of the Ocean Community YMCA’s swim team until the pandemic hit, a two-year member of the National Honor Society including secretary, a member of the Peer Tutor Club, and was named a member of the school’s Model Council. rice field. She will serve in the Rhode Island House of Representatives as a school representative during this session.
She has also worked in a nursing home, participated in a ride with paramedics in Westerly and Hope Valley as part of a pathway, volunteered at Westerly’s Johnny Cake Center, and has spent the past two summers I work at a windjammer. Like last winter at the Washington Trust ice rink.
“She came to Chariho for the Health Career Program and from day one she has immersed herself in every opportunity available to her, ranging from SkillsUSA to planning a blood donation to various AP courses,” Martinez said. Told. “Alana was named a National Distinguished Scholar for her SAT results.
Healy will enroll at Lehigh University in the fall, where he will major in biology and medicine. Jack Healy was a “total geek,” she laughed, but her confidence allowed her to successfully carve her own path in chemistry and physics at Colgate University. Gabriel is following a path in neuroscience and is currently at Harvard University.
She also credited her parents, saying that her father set a high bar for her as a successful biologist in pharmaceutical research for Pfizer.
“They all taught me that you can achieve anything you want if you keep your focus. They were my inspiration,” she said.
Salute Abigail Fagen
Fajeng’s four-year schedule at Chariho High School can only be described as a balance of everything at once.
When Ms. Fagen failed to set the bar while topping her class on nearly every test and quiz, Ms. Fagen was heavily involved in extracurricular activities that helped her fill out her resume even before she was legally an adult.
After playing for the soccer team in her freshman year, Fagen chose to follow her passion as a vocalist and decided to pursue her art as a singer and actress as well. She joined the cast of “Freaky Friday” in her sophomore year, and since then she has never looked back, and last year she spent three years in the drama club, including co-president, and four years in the choir, including president. served for a year.
Fagen said of joining the chorus, “It’s been a challenge, but it’s also provided an outlet for me.” “[Chorus director Lynn Dowding]was like a second mother to me and she pushed me in so many ways.”
Her list of accolades doesn’t end there. She is a member of the National Honor Society, the Chariho Vocal Select Chorus, the Chariho Women’s Choir, and the Rhode Island State Choir. She is also a member of the art club and works part-time at Walgreens.
Growing up on a large farm and always helping his family with their business, Fagen has also stayed fit as a rock climber.
“She’s a very busy person who has a natural ability to ‘juggle’ all her responsibilities and still maintain excellent grades,” said school counselor Patty DiPollino. She said, “Abigail is a cheerful young woman, she genuinely enjoys what she does, and she is an honor student who always strives to do her best.”
Daughter of Keith Fagen and Melissa Cinquegrana, sister of Amanda Fagen, and sister-in-law of Maddie Smith, she grew up in the district and graduated from Hope Valley Elementary School and Chariho Middle School.
Fagen, who lives in Hope Valley, said she plans to attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the fall, minoring in computer science and studying chemistry. She wants to join an accelerated program where she can earn a master’s degree in four years.
Looking to the future, she said she wants to follow in the footsteps of her father, a devoted Cetera employee and former Waters Corporation employee. She said she would like to find a role for her in applied chemistry.
“My father taught me that if you work hard, you can achieve anything,” she said. “He has a job that he enjoys, is passionate about what he does, is successful in his own right and has worked hard for everything he has. There is.”
