This year’s valedictorian is Leah Scoppa. Leah will be attending Tufts University and will be studying political science. At Morgan, she was president of student government, secretary of the Interact Club, a member of Social Justice Club, Spirit Squad, Math League, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Morgan Mentoring, Drama Club, Debate Club, and Chorus. Leah has also been a part of all four Morgan Musicals throughout her years here, starting as Audrey in the 2022 production of Little Shop of Horrors and ending as Carmen Bernstein in the 2024 production of Curtains. Outside of school, Leah was a student representative on the Clinton Human Rights Committee. She also babysits, tutors, and dedicated years to dance. Her favorite opportunity outside of school was caring for a child with special needs. She would like to thank her family, friends, and everyone at Morgan who gave her opportunities to succeed.
This year’s salutatorian is Davis Walker. Davis will be attending UConn and majoring in mechanical engineering. He was president of the Morgan Math Team and a NHS and Spanish Honor Society member. He is passionate about cars and photography. After college, Davis hopes to work in the automotive industry and start his own car company. He wants to make his mark on the world and make the lives of others better. He wishes all of his classmates the best.
The following names are in alphabetical order:
Kayla Brinkman will be attending UMass Amherst Commonwealth Honors College as a Nursing Major. She is interested in pursuing an APRN degree or attending medical school with a potential specialization in oncology. During her time at Morgan, she was a member of the National Honor Society as well as the Spanish Honor Society, FCCLA, and the Mentoring Program. Outside of Morgan, she has devoted the past five years to volunteering at the Branford Compassion Club, a cat rescue organization. Kayla also worked at Yankee Candle and likes to read in her spare time. She has enjoyed her time at Morgan, and she wants to thank her family, friends, and teachers for all the support they have given her. Best wishes to all the graduating seniors!
Jill DeMaio is going to Fordham for international studies and pre-law. She played field hockey for 7 years and was Morgan’s varsity goalie for 3. She also played tennis for a season and fenced a season. Jill said the last four years have been exciting and also a terrible challenge, to say the least, so she is excited to graduate and move onto bigger things.
Jacob Jones plans on going to UConn to major in civil engineering. During his time at Morgan, he was Rotary Club Student of the Month, Student Government Vice President, and a member of National Honor Society. He also played in the band all four years, playing trumpet and a little percussion. He played baseball his first two years of high school before switching to golf for the last two. He was named Connecticut Association of Schools Scholar Athlete, All-Conference Athlete, and Captain for football. He enjoys being out on the ocean fishing in the summer and being up in the mountains skiing in the winter. Jacob would like to thank his family, friends, teachers, and coaches for continuing to support him throughout his four years at Morgan.
Riley Kuever will be attending Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, and will be majoring in Nursing, with a Spanish minor in nursing and a theater minor. She has dedicated her time over these past four years to taking honors and AP classes and participating in several extracurricular activities. To continue her passion for acting and singing, she decided to attend the Educational Center for the Arts as a part of the theater department beginning her junior year. Though this took up a lot of her time, she was still Interact president and vice president of the Class of 2024. She also volunteered at Joel to help Spanish speaking students. Riley can’t wait to see what the future holds, and she is excited for this new chapter in her life.
Dillon Moore plans on going to UConn (honors program) and is undecided on a major. Some groups he has been a part of at Morgan are REACT, the Clinton Police Youth Group, National Honor Society, and student government. Dillon was also a part of Morgan baseball for three years and a part of the Morgan Musical for one year.
Victoria O’Neil plans on attending Wentworth Institute of Technology, majoring in civil engineering (or architecture). She played basketball her whole life and was a captain of the girls’ team this year. She is a member of the Interact club as well as a member of the Spanish National Honor Society. She loves sports, cooking, and spending time with her friends. She would love to be able to travel more in the future. Her favorite memory at Morgan would be making it to and playing in the girls’ basketball Shoreline Championship this year. Victoria is very thankful for all the memories she has been able to create here at Morgan.
In the fall, Aslin Wolfe will attend UConn (Storrs campus) majoring in animal science. She hopes to become an aquatic veterinarian. Aslin has volunteered with the Mystic Aquarium for the last four years as part of their Youth Conservation Corps, participating in various conservation efforts including beach cleanups and other research activities. One effort she particularly enjoyed each year, “Frog Watch”, involved finding amphibians to swab for Chytrid Fungus. This is a disease that can be fatal and wipe out entire species if not properly managed, so it’s important to monitor the spread closely. In addition to her volunteer efforts, she has a love for theater, both as a viewer and an actor. Aslin has been acting in community theater for nearly ten years and enjoys the variety of roles she had the honor to play during that time. Perhaps the most rewarding aspect is guiding younger actors, some in their first experience on stage, through the process and watching them grow and thrive along the way. This inspired her to become a camp counselor, which she will be continuing this summer as the lead for a town drama program. Anything creative also draws her in. She enjoys all manner of art, puzzles, escape rooms, or other mental challenges she can find. Ultimately, she is so grateful for everyone who has pushed and supported her over the years to put academics first, all the wonderful teachers she had, and for her family and friends.
Glenda Zhiminaicela will be attending Eastern Connecticut State University, majoring in a health science field, most likely biology. She plays soccer, basketball, and track. She has been playing soccer since the third grade and also played club/ premier soccer. She has had many coaches through her time playing soccer, but she said her dad has taught her the most. Everyone says she plays like him. She fell in love with the sport, which has led her to continue playing soccer in college and have a career that allows her to stay involved in sports helping other athletes. Her favorite memory is winning and scoring in soccer Shoreline finals and helping her team win on senior night. She also loved getting Player of the Year her junior year, when Coach Sully also got Coach of the Year. Glenda is thankful for her family, coaches, teachers, and friends for their encouragement and support. She hopes everyone enjoys their time at Morgan and makes many wonderful memories.
