Commencement exercises for the EHS Class of 2022 are set to take place on Wednesday, June 22, at the Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton at 4 p.m.
The Class of 2022 got to spend the majority of the year in classrooms, seated next to their classmates, unlike the seniors of the previous classes. But they also wore masks for much of the year, as the COVID-19 pandemic lumbered into its third year. Finally in March, the masks came off, and life began to feel a little closer to normal.
Among those graduating are the 11 seniors featured below, listed in order of grade point average.
Thomas Vellenga
College and major: U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Civil Engineering
GPA: 4.825
Career plans: I plan to join the Army Corps of Engineers as an officer.
Planned college activities: I hope to play in the pep band, play water polo or soccer, and get involved with research in my field of study.
Clubs/sports teams at EHS: Soccer, wrestling, indoor track, outdoor track, student council, marching band, jazz band, pit orchestra.
Who is a person that inspires you? My parents. They are kind, charitable, and wise, and they have been a huge part of molding who I am as a person. They have always known what to say and how to guide me to achieving my goals no matter what they are at the time. I owe all my successes, past, and future, to them, and I hope I can continue to make them proud as I continue to college and beyond.
Favorite inspirational quote: “He who serves his fellows is, of all his fellows, greatest.” This quote inspires me because it speaks to what I believe my purpose is in life: to serve those around me in any capacity I can.
Favorite high school memory? Playing in the Legally Blonde pit orchestra. The music was challenging and fun, all my friends were playing with me, the show was great, and the experience was all around super positive and educational for me as a musician. I loved playing in the pit so much that I did it again senior year even though I had to play a different instrument.
Marc Romanowski
College and major: The College of New Jersey, Astrophysics, Computer Science
GPA: 4.6902
Career plans: Astrophysicist
Planned college activities: Astronomy club, physics club, orchestra and club bowling.
Clubs/sports teams at EHS: Game club, math league, honors symphony.
Who is a person that inspires you? My parents. They have instilled the morals and values that I still possess today, which include valuing and accepting all individuals for their differences, treating all individuals with respect and valuing family and friends above materialistic and financial pursuits.
My parents have also instilled in me a love of learning in addition to a desire to dream of the impossible with the hope of it one day becoming possible. My parents have very much shaped every aspect of the individual I am today, and I would not be anywhere near half the individual I am without them.
Favorite inspirational quote: “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” –Albert Einstein
Favorite high school memory? I have obtained so many enjoyable memories with my teachers and friends, EHS staff, and my fellow classmates that I cannot just choose a single memory as my favorite. I will treasure my time at EHS and the various memories and relationships I have established there.
Richard ‘Dean’ Beck
College and major: The College of New Jersey, Civil Engineering
GPA: 4.6446
Career plans: Engineer
Planned college activities: I don’t plan on joining any activities so far, but that could change.
Clubs/sports teams at EHS: Future Business Leaders of America (vice president), culinary club, boys’ lacrosse.
Who is a person that inspires you? My mother, who is able to juggle so many things simultaneously.
Favorite inspirational quote: “You define your own life. Don’t let other people write your script.”
Favorite high school memory? My favorite memory in High School was building the marble roller coaster in Mr. Lewis’s class.
Jordan Everett
College and major: Villanova, Double major in Accounting and Finance or International Business
GPA: 4.5839
Career plans: Accounting
Planned college activities: Baseball, either club or for the actual baseball team. I am interested in joining a few clubs, but I have yet to decide on which ones.
Clubs/sports teams at EHS: Varsity baseball, Future Business Leaders of America Club (parliamentarian).
Who is a person that inspires you? My dad inspires me because he always wanted to do right by others and he did everything in his power to take care of his family. I hope to be able to be half the man or even better than my dad was.
Favorite inspirational quote: “People don’t cry because they are weak. They cry because they have been strong for too long.” –Johnny Depp
Favorite high school memory? My favorite memory of High School was being named player of the week by NJ.com for baseball.
Austin Hill
College and major: The College of New Jersey, Psychology
GPA: 4.5374
Career plans: Clinical Psychologist
Planned college activities: I plan to join a fraternity, along with any club(s) related to my major as well as community service.
Clubs/sports teams at EHS: Varsity baseball, peer leadership.
Who is a person that inspires you? My parents inspire me the most because they are always supportive and continue to push me to be my best, always reassuring me that I can succeed in whatever I do.
Favorite inspirational quote: “Whatever you do, always give 100%. Unless you’re donating blood.” –Bill Murray
Favorite high school memory? I have two memories that were my favorite. First was winning Homecoming Duke during my sophomore year and the other was being able to go on the Peer Leadership retreat after so much was canceled due to COVID.
Nicholas McFeeters
College and major: University of Pittsburgh, Engineering
GPA: 4.5165
Career plans: Mechanical engineer, bioengineer or electrical engineer
Planned college activities: Concert and/or jazz band.
Clubs/sports teams at EHS: Baseball, swimming, jazz band, pit orchestra.
Who is a person that inspires you? My parents inspire me through their incredible work ethic and the efforts that they have invested into their work.
Favorite inspirational quote: “Challenges make life interesting, however overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” –Mark Twain
Favorite high school memory? Swim practice at an outdoor pool throughout the particularly harsh winter season of 2021/22 was shockingly enjoyable. The water was heated after all, and the pool itself was very nice. During one practice, it started to snow, and feeling snow land on me as I was swimming a freestyle set was an absurd yet noteworthy memory. We also had a team picture taken during the snowfall, which was fun.
Michael E. Salata
College and major: U.S. Coast Guard. Salata graduated early and is attending Coast Guard boot camp. He was unable to answer questions for this feature.
GPA: 4.5107
Career plans: Salata as always wanted to become an N.J. State Trooper and will pursue that career after four years of being enlisted with the U.S. Coast Guard. At that time, he plans to then switch from a full-time member of the Coast Guard to reserves to pursue his dream of becoming a State Trooper.
Who is a person that inspires you? Ray Smink, a retired N.J. State Police detective.
Kaitlyn Britton
College and major: The College of New Jersey, English
GPA: 4.5054
Career plans: Author
Planned college activities: I am not quite set on the clubs I want to join but I do plan on joining a few.
Clubs/sports teams at EHS: Anime club, gaming club, Rotary Club, KEY Club, marching band, pit orchestra for the school musicals, National Honor Society.
Who is a person that inspires you? I am inspired by all the people around me each and every day. I strive to be better so that I can help this world in any way I can, even if it is ultimately small on the grander scale.
Favorite inspirational quote: “The goal isn’t to live forever; the goal is to create something that will.” –Chuck Palahniuk
Favorite high school memory? My favorite High School memory is when I found out my poem would be published in a compilation book full of other poems from students all over the country.
Za’Niya Mims
College and major: Maryland Institute College of Art, Animation
GPA: 4.4821
Career plans: To start a small sticker business or to open a small animation studio with a focus on minority representation.
Planned college activities: Black Student Union.
Clubs/sports teams at EHS: Art club, student council.
Who is a person that inspires you? My siblings. I want to be a good role model for them and show them that college is possible with the right amount of dedication.
Favorite high school memory? Peer Leadership retreat.
Stephanie Frolio
College and major: The College of New Jersey, Biomedical Engineering
GPA: 4.4580
Career plans: I plan to work either in the medical field or possibly in a manufacturing position, but ultimately wherever future events lead me.
Planned college activities: I plan to work either in the medical field or possibly in a manufacturing position, but ultimately wherever future events lead me.
Clubs/sports teams at EHS: Swimming, track & field, jazz band, marching band, robotics, handbells, The Spelling Bee (pit for the musical).
Who is a person that inspires you? Jacob Elam. He taught me that you should not live for someone else; trust in yourself, do what you want to do and what you enjoy, and as long as you have a passion for something and know what you personally want to do, you can achieve anything. I look up to him and am grateful he’s helping me find my passion.
Favorite inspirational quote: “Fake it ‘til you make it.”
Favorite high school memory? Going to World Championships for robotics and having some memorable ‘team bonding’ experiences.
Jayda Ward
College and major: Montclair State University, Psychology
GPA: 4.4580
Career plans: Clinical Psychologist.
Planned college activities: I am still unsure of what clubs I might join in college, my main focus is still my academics and adjusting to the new lifestyle.
Clubs/sports teams at EHS: Anime club, Rotary club, sexuality and gender alliance, gaming club.
Who is a person that inspires you? My friends inspire me because throughout everything they have always encouraged me to keep going and to become a better version of my current self. They have been there to help me even when they were also struggling, and I hope to bring even more light to other people’s lives than they have brought to mine.
Favorite inspirational quote: “Your best teacher is your last mistake”
Favorite high school memory? Everyone in the orchestra on one of the last days of my freshman year, gathered together to sing songs and sway their phone flashlights in the air like it was a concert, without a care in the world.
Marc Romanowski,
Nicholas McFeeters ,
