The William Floyd School District has announced the top students for the Class of 2025 at William Floyd High School. Alice Chen has been named valedictorian, and Rachel Chen is the salutatorian.
Alice Chen, who achieved a weighted grade point average of 104.5, will attend Harvard University in the fall. She plans to major in chemical and physical biology with a minor in government, focusing on pre-law for patent law. During her high school years, Alice was involved in various extracurricular activities. She participated in the Y-USA National Changemakers Competition as a junior, where her team won a $5,000 grant to combat nitrogen pollution on Long Island using rain gardens.
In addition to her environmental efforts, Alice took part in the YMCA Youth and Government program. She held statewide leadership roles including public defender and attorney general during conferences held at New York State Legislative chambers. Her involvement extended to national competitions such as the YMCA National Judicial Competition and the YMCA Conference on National Affairs.
Alice also contributed significantly to Floyd Robotics Team 287, serving in roles like safety captain and media captain while leading her team to win several awards. Furthermore, she played an integral role in projects under Stony Brook University’s Science Technology Entry Program (STEP), winning grants for environmental initiatives at William Floyd High School.
Rachel Chen holds a weighted GPA of 102.12 and will be attending the University of Virginia with plans to major in health science or biology. Throughout high school, Rachel engaged deeply with both academic pursuits and volunteer work. As an EMS volunteer with Shirley Ambulance and participant in Northwell Health’s Junior Leadership Council, she gained hands-on experience in emergency services.
Rachel volunteered at Long Island Community Hospital/NYU Langone assisting patients directly alongside working with therapy animals for emotional support purposes. Her leadership roles spanned various student organizations such as president of the Medical Club at William Floyd High School.
She also took part in initiatives like the Long Island Water Quality Challenge through STEP Club efforts which resulted in securing funding for rain garden projects at their school campus grounds.
Both Alice and Rachel are graduating with AP Capstone distinctions by meeting rigorous criteria across multiple Advanced Placement exams—a recognition shared by only ten students from their school this year.
Their educational journey included attendance from elementary through middle school within William Floyd schools before culminating into these notable achievements celebrated by their district community today.
