The Middlesex County Magnet Schools Class of 2022 – 483 students – graduated from its five campuses in five outdoor ceremonies held on June 24.
A total of 381 seniors earned their diplomas from the East Brunswick, Perth Amboy and Piscataway campuses, according to a press release through the schools on July 5.
Sofia Alvarez, of Fords, was the valedictorian of the East Brunswick Campus. Marlayna O’Brien, of Edison, was the salutatorian.
Emelin Luna Salinas, of New Brunswick, was valedictorian of the Piscataway Campus. Nica’ Joyner, of Piscataway, was salutatorian.
The East Brunswick and Piscataway graduations were held on the East Brunswick Campus.
Franchesca Rodriguez Familia, of Perth Amboy, was the valedictorian of the Perth Amboy Campus. Kaitlyn Romero, of Perth Amboy, was salutatorian. The ceremony was held on the Perth Amboy Campus.
Liesha Yenduri, of East Brunswick, was the valedictorian among 62 graduates of the Middlesex County Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences in Woodbridge. Aqsa Owais, of Edison, was the salutatorian.
Darshan Lakshminarayanan, of Woodbridge, was the valedictorian among 40 graduates of the Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies in Edison. Emelin Castillo-Abreu, of Perth Amboy, was the salutatorian.
The academy graduations were held in William Warren Park in Woodbridge.
Graduation speakers took note of the unprecedented obstacles faced by the graduates due to the pandemic.
“Despite the uncertainty of another COVID year, our students overcame the challenges of our time and left an indelible mark while leaving a legacy of success,” said Superintendent of Schools Jorge E. Diaz.
“Your flexibility, perseverance and hard work have prepared you for obstacles that will come in the future,” Middlesex County Commissioner Director Ronald Rios told the Edison Academy graduates, urging them to “contribute to the greater good.”
County Commissioner Charles Kenny told the Woodbridge Academy graduates their “lives were upended.”
“I commend your resilience in the face of these challenges,” he said, remarking on the contributions of health-care workers during COVID. “If you are planning to join the ranks of these brave people, I ‘thank you’.”
The Magnet Schools, formerly the Middlesex Vocational and Technical Schools, enroll just over 2,000 students, offering 36 career majors, according to the press release.