FCIAC EXEMPLARY SCHOLAR-ATHLETES
The FCIAC’s exemplary scholar-athletes for fall 2021:
OLIVIA CONTE, WESTHILL
Olivia has an unweighted GPA of 3.97 and is a member of the Spanish National Honor Society and National Honor Society, which she serves as the finance and service coordinator.
She is a four-year member of both the field hockey and girls basketball teams and a senior captain for the field hockey team. She received All-FCIAC girls basketball honorable mention during her sophomore and junior years.
Olivia has participated in the Academy of Finance program, which has broadened her knowledge of accounting, which she plans to pursue. As a junior she received the STEM Leadership Book Award from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Olivia was also a recipient of the Peter Bloomer Citizenship Award from Abilis for her volunteering efforts with Stamford Education for Autism. She continues to volunteer her time at her old elementary school, with Kids Helping Kids, and Stamford Youngtimers Basketball.
GABRIELLA COGNETTI, WESTHILL
Ella is a National Honor Society member and a High Honor Roll student with an unweighted GPA of 3.93.
She has been a member of Westhill’s girls soccer, girls basketball and girls outdoor track and field teams for the past three years. She was a captain for the girls soccer team.
Ella was a recipient of the Bryn Mawr Book Award.
She currently serves as president of the Stamford Agricultural Science Program and is a Connecticut certified nursing assistant (CNA).
Ella is an avid community volunteer and works with LiveGirl as a Senior Fellow as well as a mentor and coach for Stamford girls youth soccer and basketball.
ZOE TONGTONG, STAMFORD
Zoe has maintained a 3.9 unweighted GPA while taking mainly honors and AP classes.
She is part of the National Honor Society, Red Cross Club, secretary of the Excel Club and many others.
Zoe is a captain of her high school and club soccer teams and also a member of the girls outdoor track and field team.
Zoe volunteers in her community coaching kids and helping throughout the school year at Person to Person, a donation center.
CARLY DIAMOND, STAMFORD
This National Honor Society member has an unweighted GPA of 4.0 while taking AP and honors classes.
Carly has been a member of the girls soccer, girls basketball and girls lacrosse programs all four years and a team captain for all three sports since her junior year. She earned All-FCIAC girls soccer honorable mention as a sophomore.
Carly was the recipient of the Sacred Heart Book Award. She volunteers with Friendship Circle and the Stamford Youth Soccer Junior Recreational League.
AIDAN NESTOR, STAMFORD
Aidan is a senior who has achieved a weighted GPA of 4.85 while taking mostly AP and honors classes. He is also enrolled in the Early College Studies program and will complete his associate degree in Software Engineering from NCC simultaneously with his high school diploma.
Aidan has played varsity football for three seasons and was named a captain of the team this year. He has also played varsity baseball. He plays for the American Legion Post 3 baseball team based out of Stamford during the summer and was named Pitcher of the Year on the 19-and-under team.
He is also a member of the National Honor Society, the English Honor Society and the Science Honor Society. He also serves on the Athletic Council and volunteers with field maintenance for Stamford North Little League.
Aidan plans on studying computer science in college.
LUKE DEHMEL, DARIEN
Luke has earned a 4.33 GPA and is president of the National English Honor Society, secretary of the National Honor Society and a member of Mu Alpha Theta and the Spanish National Honor Society.
He was awarded the Dartmouth College Book Award as a junior and is set to receive the State of Connecticut Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish along with English.
Luke has played football all four years and is a starting safety. He is also a member of the outdoor track and field team after having played lacrosse as a freshman.
Luke volunteers at DAF Media, the Darien High School Writing Center and Person-toPerson, and he serves as a Senior Blue Wave Anchor.
SAMANTHA BARLOW, DARIEN
Sam has achieved a weighted 4.13 GPA while taking a varied and robust course load of AP and honors classes.
She is a member of the Math National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society and the Mandarin Chinese National Honor Society.
Sam is a four-year member of the varsity girls soccer team and a senior captain. She is also a starting defender on the varsity lacrosse team who played a key role in helping the Blue Wave win the 2021 Class L state championship.
Sam fosters a love of sports and serves as a role model for young athletes, working as a coach and referee for both soccer and lacrosse youth teams.
She is president of Development and Fundraising for the Darien Youth Community Fund, an ongoing volunteer at Person to Person and a Blue Wave Anchor Leader. Sam plans to play lacrosse at Dartmouth College.
KRISTI LEE, NORWALK
This high honor roll student throughout her high school career, who is maintaining a 4.49 GPA, has the position of secretary for the National Honor Society and is also a member of the Spanish Honor Society.
Kristi has been a member of the Norwalk/ McMahon girls swimming and diving team all four years of high school and is currently a senior co-captain.
Kristi is president of Norwalk High School’s Key Club and also volunteers at Person-toPerson in Darien and the Notre Dame Rehabilitation Center in Norwalk.
ELIJAH ACKERMAN, WILTON
Elijah has earned high honor roll every quarter of his high school career and achieved a 4.0 unweighted GPA while taking many honors and AP courses. He is a member of both the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society.
Elijah is captain of both the boys golf and boys ski teams, where he was a member of the CISL Class S state championship team in 2020.
Elijah is most proud of the “Dann Pompa Search For a Kidney” project, which he conducted with two other friends to help find their guidance counselor a kidney transplant.
Elijah received four Connecticut Challenge to Educational Citizenship Awards for his contributions to Buon Amico, Peervention, leading the Socks for Soldiers club and leading the St. Baldrick’s charity event at Wilton High School, which raised a record-breaking $35,600 last year.
JACKSON MACDONALD, NORWALK
This senior has been on the High Honor Roll since he’s been a freshman and maintained a cumulative GPA of 4.5217. Jackson was accepted into the National Honor Society, and in 2021 he was awarded AP Scholar with Distinction.
Jackson has been a member of the football and boys lacrosse teams since his freshman year, a varsity player the last three years and has been a leader for his teammates both on and off the field.
He has volunteered for many organizations in his community in his role as co-president of the Build-On volunteering club since his junior year.
GILLIAN LIPSKY, WILTON
Gillian is a High Honor Roll student maintaining an unweighted GPA of 4.0, taking many AP and honors courses. She is a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society.
She has been a varsity player for the girls volleyball team for three years.
Gillian received the St. Lawrence Book
Award, is president of the WHS branch of SeriousFun Club and she volunteers for Special Olympics and Filling in the Blanks.
JACOB KOLMAN, BRIEN MCMAHON
Jacob was recently selected as a National Merit semifinalist and has a GPA of 4.55.
He was the recipient of the school’s Dartmouth Book Award for 2021.
Jacob is captain of the golf team, co-captain of the school math team and has been a member of the robotics team for four years.
He also started a math tutoring program that helps students at three different schools.
CAMILLE LEGNANI, BRIEN MCMAHON
Camille is a senior with a 4.5 weighted GPA and is an IB Diploma candidate.
She is a captain of the girls volleyball team and is a four-year varsity player.
Camille is a co-president of a volunteering group called the Junior Rowayton Civics Association, secretary of her class, vice president of the National Honor Society and a member of the leadership team of two equity groups (McMahon Students Support Equity in Education and Fairfield County Student Equity Coalition).
She recently received the Brandeis Book Award and the CT Excellence in Education Award for MSSEE.
GUY HARIZMAN, STAPLES
This senior with the accumulative GPA of 4.03 has been involved in the football and lacrosse programs for all four years of high school.
Guy was a recipient of the Staples High School Science Award. He is also the coordinator for the Film Analysis Club and a member of Link Crew.
He has been actively involved with the Westport youth football program, volunteering at camps in the summer for the past couple of years.
GABY GONZALEZ, STAPLES
Gaby is a High Honor Roll student who has achieved a weighted GPA of 4.08 while taking mostly AP and honors courses. She was accepted to the Staples National Honor Society.
This excellent player for the girls soccer team has been a captain during her junior and senior years. Gaby earned All-FCIAC honorable mention as a freshman, All-FCIAC first team as a sophomore, and All-State and All-New England as a junior.
She is a member of the Amnesty International
Club, FCIAC Student Leadership Council and volunteer academic tutor at the Caroline House of Bridgeport.
Gaby is verbally committed to continue her academic and soccer career at Cornell University.
RYAN BERECZ, FAIRFIELD WARDE
Ryan has achieved a 4.05 GPA while taking honors and AP courses throughout high school.
He is a senior captain of the boys soccer team and a four-year varsity player who helped Warde go undefeated during the regular season in 2019.
Ryan is also a Warde Philharmonic Orchestra member.
JORDAN STEIN, FAIRFIELD LUDLOWE
Jordan is a senior enrolled in a variety of AP and honors courses with a GPA of 4.43.
She is treasurer of the National Honor Society and received the University of Pennsylvania Junior Book Award. She is passionate about languages and has received the Spanish World Language Award of Excellence in her freshman and sophomore years, the seal of biliteracy in Spanish, and summa cum laude on the 2019 and 2020 National Latin Exams.
Jordan is a four-year member of the girls cross country and girls track and field teams since her freshman year and a co-captain for the cross country team during her junior and senior years.
As a freshman she made the 2018 AllFCIAC girls cross country second team and ran well enough to qualify for the State Open championship meet in both of her first two years.
Jordan enjoys tutoring through honor societies and volunteering with clubs and organizations such as Operation Hope and Unified Sports. She is a corresponding secretary of FLHS Key Club, an ambassador for the Yellow Tulip Project and sports editor for Prospect, the FLHIS school newspaper.
WILFREN LEON, BRIDGEPORT CENTRAL
Wilfren is a National Honor Society member who has achieved a 3.6 GPA while taking advanced AP/ECE and honor classes throughout his high school career.
He is a member of the boys varsity soccer team.
Wilfren also volunteers for Build On, a volunteering program for both in school as well as outside of school which helps youngsters with activities at an after-school program at the Shehan Center.
NATHAN CRAMER, FAIRFIELD LUDLOWE
Nate has excelled as a student and as a three-season distance runner for the boys cross country and the indoor and outdoor track and field programs.
He has achieved a 4.4 weighted GPA while taking mostly honors and AP courses.
Nate has earned second-team and firstteam All-FCIAC recognition during indoor track and outdoor track, as well as being named All-State for cross country. On Oct. 20, he became the individual champion when he won the 5-kilometer race (3.1 miles) at the 2021 FCIAC cross country championships with a time of 16:11, which automatically earned him his spot on the All-FCIAC first team.
Nate is an Eagle Scout in addition to being co-president of Partners for Literacy.
ALLIE BURT, FAIRFIELD WARDE
Allie, who has a 4.53 weighted GPA, is a three-sport athlete and captain of the girls cross country team.
She has been the recipient of several awards, including the Brandeis Book Award for Social Action and Civic Engagement.
Allie was named Fairfield Warde’s Track and Field Scholar Athlete and awarded the Most Improved Athlete Award when she was s sophomore, and placed first in her age group at the most recent Faxon Law Half Marathon in Fairfield.
Allie is co-president of the Young Democrats Club, is an intern for the Fairfield Democratic Town Committee, serving as the District 5 Assistant Coordinator for the upcoming 2021 election, and enjoys volunteering at a local food pantry.
ROBBIE SLUGA, ST. JOSEPH
Robbie is a President’s Honor Roll student who has achieved an unweighted GPA of 3.6 taking mostly AP and honors-level classes. He was inducted into the National Math Honor Society (Mu Alpha Theta) and accepted into this year’s Peer Ministry Program.
He has played varsity soccer for three years, freshman and junior varsity basketball, and two years of varsity golf. During his sophomore year, Robbie was awarded the Mickey Lione Jr. Award for Youth Excellence.
Robbie was selected to the 2021 FCIAC All-East golf team and the 2020-21 Connecticut All-State boys golf team for Division III during his junior year. He finished among the top 15 in the CIAC Division III championship and played a key role to help lead St. Joseph to its first Division III state championship. Robbie was named a team captain for his senior season.
Robbie volunteers at several Fairfield County charities, including Al’s Angels, The New Covenant Center (a Catholic Charities organization), Filling in the Blanks and the Stamford Museum and Nature Center.
MADDIGAN LEIFER, ST. JOSEPH
Maddigan is a National Honor Society member, the senior class president, an executive board member of student ambassadors, a student council member and president of the writing center.
She is starter at left back for St. Joseph’s excellent girls soccer team. Maddigan was selected to the 2021 All-FCIAC girls lacrosse second team and All-State lacrosse first team last spring, and is a team captain.