Pascack Valley Senior Joely Ross has officially been announced as Pascack Valley High School’s Class of 2026 Valedictorian.
Ross remembers being called down to the guidance office, where she found PVHS’s Principal John Puccio waiting. After talking for a few minutes about colleges, he finally shared the good news.
“I was very excited because I care a lot about my grades and how I do in school, so it’s a relief that I accomplished a goal I was working towards for so long,” Ross said. “We called my parents on the phone; it was a really sweet moment.”
Throughout her years at PVHS, Ross has significantly grown and changed.
“I think I’ve definitely changed most academically. I’ve gotten more lenient with myself since freshman year,” said Ross. “Freshman year, I was very hard on myself, and I wouldn’t let myself make any mistakes when it came to school. Since then, I’ve definitely let myself make more mistakes and know that it’s okay.”
Not only has she changed academically, but she’s also grown as a person. Ross says that in these past four years, she’s become a more confident person.
“Freshman year, I was more timid and scared, sort of just sticking to myself and unsure of a lot of things, and through high school, I kind of found myself through the things that I love, whether that was dance or the clubs that I am in or leading,” explained Ross.
Ross thinks that it’s important to establish a balanced lifestyle between academics and social life.
“Your life isn’t all about school, and I think that taking the time to enjoy yourself, find the people that you love, find the things that you enjoy doing are more important than any academics,” said Ross.
Ross says that her most difficult class was AP Physics taught by Borislaw Bilash. The flipped classroom, where you learn at home and practice in class, made the physics very challenging and time-consuming
Ross’s favorite part of high school was the Pascack Valley Regional Dance Team.
“The time I spent with my dance team over the past four years has been extremely important to me,” said Ross. “That was where I found my community and mentorship, with older girls on the team. I think going to nationals with them, growing to eventually being captain, is one of my most meaningful memories.”
Although Ross says that her time at PVHS has been meaningful to her, she is very excited about her future. Ross plans on studying government and economics at Cornell University on a pre-law track.
Ross has learned many things at PVHS, and one piece of advice she’d give to her classmates is to find what you love and use it to make change.
“Everyone has something that is important to them, and I hope that they hold on to what they love and use that to make a difference in the world,” Ross said.
Pascack Valley Senior Ming-Yang Qin is Pascack Valley High School’s Salutatorian for the Class of 2026.
Qin described how he first felt when it was confirmed that he was his class’s salutatorian.
“My reaction was shocked and excited,” said Qin. “I did have the feeling that I was in the conversation for salutatorian before the announcement, but hearing it for real for the first time was super gratifying.”
Qin explained how he felt the honor was proof of all the effort he invested into his high school career.
“It was an affirmation that all the work I had put in for the past four years had been worth it and recognized,” said Qin.
When asked about his favorite memory from his time at PVHS, Qin chose his Junior Day, where all of the juniors spend the day out on the field doing activities and socializing, as his favorite.
“It was nice having a day for the entire grade to go relax and play spike ball,” said Qin. “Also, the food from Kimchi Smoke was amazing.”
Additionally, Qin explained how much he has changed both socially and academically since he first came to PVHS as a freshman.
“Looking back on freshman year, I’ve changed so much since then. At PV, I’ve met so many new people and participated in activities that I never thought I would’ve enjoyed,” explained Qin. “For example, when I started high school, I was dead set on pursuing computer science, but after my experience taking Research at PV, I’ve decided to pursue a career in biotechnology.”
Specifically, he is planning to attend college at Princeton University with a major in Molecular Biology.
Finally, Qin shared advice for freshmen who want to perform well in high school and make the most of their time at PVHS.
“One piece of advice I would have for ambitious freshmen would be take it easy,” said Qin. “It’s important to do well in school or extracurriculars, but a large part of high school is also making new friends and finding things you truly enjoy. High school is meant to be something to be enjoyed, not an endless grind toward college.”
