E ncouraging women’s education has been a goal of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) since its beginning, and the Freehold Area Branch every year recognizes the senior girl from each of the six schools in the Freehold Regional High School District who has the highest grade-point average at the end of the third marking period. The girls were given certificates and monetary awards and good wishes for the future.
The Freehold Area Branch of the AAUW recently honored outstanding students from the six Freehold Regional High School District schools. The young women are (l-r) Ashley Szymanski, Freehold High School; Mary Thomas- Ridgeway, Howell High School; Kristin Pena, Manalapan High School; Anisha Atluri, Marlboro High School; Kathlyn Herrick, Colts Neck High School; and Samantha Sisskind, Freehold Township High School. Colts Neck High School was represented by Kathlyn Herrick, a resident of Colts Neck. She has been busy all year, attending Douglass Science Institute at Rutgers every summer for four years as well as the New Jersey Governor’s School in the Sciences. She is a three-season athlete in soccer, winter track and spring track. Among her academic honors was a Math League perfect score in 2006. She is considering a math major at the University of Pennsylvania.
Ashley Szymanski of Freehold Borough is a senior at Freehold High School. She has received many awards for academic achievements, including the Edward J. Bloustein Award and the New Jersey Scholar Award. The Multiple Sclerosis Club honored her for four years of dedication to raising money for a cure, with $18,000 raised so far. For the past 12 years Ashley has studied dance. She will be attending Rutgers University with plans to major in political science and then go to law school.
Freehold Township High School’s International Studies Learning Center attracted Samantha Sisskind of the Morganville section of Marlboro. She has held leadership positions in the Speech and Debate Team, Junior Statesman of American Chapter, and People to People International. Winner of the Freehold Sunrise Optimist Club essay contest, she was the second-place district finisher. She looks forward to pursuing her interest in international relations at Cornell University and in the future becoming a United Nations diplomat.
Mary Thomas-Ridgeway of Howell has been named Student Achiever of the Year at Howell High School. Editor-inchief of the school newspaper, she is a Bloustein Scholar and received a U.S. Achievement Academy Award for mathematics. She has volunteered at the Howell Senior Center and plays the clarinet. Anthropology will be her focus at Rutgers University and she aims eventually for a doctorate and a career in college teaching.
Kristin Pena of Marlboro is a student at Manalapan High School. Her school record earned her a number of awards, including 2007 AP Scholar with Distinction and recognition from the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University. Active in many school groups, Kristin is president of the Volunteer Club. Her summer experience includes the California Institute of Technology Young Engineers and Science Scholar Program and a six-week research internship at Johns Hopkins. She will be studying mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and wants to design products.
A resident of Marlboro, Anisha Atluri has been very active at Marlboro High School. She has served as president of the Future Business Leaders of America and the French Club. She has enjoyed participating in academically oriented competitions – the math and science leagues and the Consumer Bowl. As a senior, she was captain of the Federal Reserve Challenge and Ethics Challenge. Anisha has played soccer for the Mustangs and for the past two seasons she has captained the varsity lacrosse team. She will be studying business at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, as well as liberal arts.