Always get the quiche.
That’s the advice Roslyn High School valedictorian Allison Bichoupan left her fellow graduates of the Class of 2014 with on Friday during the school district’s 108th commencement at the Tilles Center at LIU Post.
But Bichoupan’s guidance was not exactly meant literally, she said, as the pastry served as a metaphor for her 262 classmates to break from their comfort zones and try new things in their upcoming collegiate years and ensuing careers.
“I understand if this seems slightly banal – try new things, take risks. We hear this lesson over and over again,” she said. “But as we begin our independent lives, it takes on a heightened meaning.”
While at Disney World in Florida with the Roslyn High School marching band in February, Bichoupan’s friend opted to order pasta for lunch, rather than the quiche she had also been eyeing.
Another friend ordered the pastry instead, she said, and everyone in her group tasted it – a decision no one regretted.
“If we don’t bury our fears and take a leap of faith, we will waste the four best years of our lives,” she said. “So I ask you to remember the golden rule – always get the quiche.”
While at Roslyn High School, Bichoupan was president of the school’s Math Club, Key Club and Model Government and captained the flute section of its marching band for the last two years.
She was also one of four Roslyn High School students to receive the National Merit Scholarship this year, alongside salutatorian Joshua Loria and classmates Brendan Seidman and Hae Su Shin.
Bichoupan plans to attend Cornell University this fall to study animal science, in hopes of becoming a veterinarian.
In his speech to classmates, Loria implored his classmates to continue their community service efforts as they progress in life.
Loria, a volunteer firefighter with the Roslyn Highlands Fire Company, said his classmates’ talents have equated to more than 15,000 community service hours in their time at Roslyn High School.
“Whether you have millions to give or just pennies, whether you’re helping friends and family members or complete strangers, everyone has something to contribute,” he said.
Jordan Fishbach, the president of the school’s Organization of Class Councils and student delegate to the Roslyn Board of Education, said in his address that change has not always come easy for someone who has kept the same doctors, haircut, toothpaste and backpack for years.
He and his family – including his twin sister, Julie, now an intern with Blank Slate Media – moved to Roslyn when Fishbach was in sixth grade, and he thanked the Roslyn community for helping to nurture his successes in the classroom and on the athletic field.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my move to Roslyn, it’s that we must not fear change,” said Fishbach, who plans to attend the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. “We may at times be skeptic, but in the end we must accept it.”
Roslyn Superintendent of Schools Dan Brenner said high school commencement – and college orientation – has given the graduates the opportunity to change themselves completely if they choose, allowing them to shed the personal history of “being the quiet student in the middle school or the top athlete or the lead in the play or even Jordan, the president of the class.”
“I would ask you think about the person you are and the person you want to be,” Brenner said. “Think about the passion you bring to your life and what positive effect you’ve had on those around you.”
Board of Education President Meryl Waxman Ben-Levy and Trustee Adam Haber each said in brief speeches that they’ll be dealing with the changes that come with seeing their children graduate from high school, as Ben-Levy’s son Zachary and Haber’s daughter Stephanie each received their diplomas on Friday.
“You are from a place where the best pancakes on earth are ready when you wake up on a weekend morning, and chicken soup can cure pretty much anything that ails you,” Ben-Levy said. “You are from a place where you are welcomed wherever you go. You are from where everything is familiar and where adventures are encouraged.”
Scott Andrews, principal of Roslyn High School, advised the students “don’t get caught up in work, take time to read, take time to be friendly, take time to laugh, to love and be loved.”
“Thank you for your smiles, thank you for your spirit, thank you for your kindness,” Andrews said. “But most of all, thank you for the memories.”
