After the abrupt end of the 2019-2020 in-person school year on March 16, 2020, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the class of 2020 will be graduating this month on June 26, 2020. The senior grade is full of well-rounded individuals, who will certainly go on to achieve incredible feats in the future. Bronx Science’s class of 2020 is full of young athletes, actors, scientists and politicians. Several of the seniors have made a lasting impact on Bronx Science, and it is only fitting that they should be recognized for their hard work.

Anthony Bonavita ’20 is the S.O. President, and has led the student organization through a multitude of changes. Under his leadership, events like the annual can drive were transformed into the more charitable Toys, Cans and Coats (TCC) Drive, and the school spirit ‘Decades Day’ was created. The Decades Day was an event to celebrate the end of the 2010’s by having students immerse  themselves in nostalgic activities and styles of their childhoods.  “I think there have been many different things that we have altered to the Bronx Science life, like making students more enticed to be in student government, and taking more joy in doing the things that the S.O. Cabinet works on,” said Bonavita. As a leader, Bonavita strives to complete every task with passion and gives everything his all. He is collaborative, and he enjoys working with the Cabinet. “I think the activity that I am most proud of is Cultural Day, not only because we were able to have a great amount of students come with cultural clothing and food to eat, but also because it was the first time that I really saw the student government work directly with clubs, and I hope we can continue to do that,” said Bonavita.

Babou Gaye ’20 also contributed to Cultural Day as the Vice President of Cabinet. He worked alongside Bonavita by coordinating with various cultural clubs such as B.O.S.S. and Vivo Latino. But Gaye’s impact on the Bronx Science community extends beyond just his work in Cabinet — he is a recording artist under the stage name ‘Bazz,’ with songs on multiple streaming platforms that include Spotify and Apple Music. Students were overjoyed when he performed alongside Arjun Mazumdar ’21 during the 2019 Homecoming. Outside of school, he can be found fighting for equity in New York as the Organizing Manager at the New York Civil Liberties Union and a member of Justice League NYC. “Both organizations help me to be an activist working towards dismantling the school to prison pipeline and empowering my community to stand up for social justice,” said Gaye.

Ayesha Khan ’20 has used her leadership position as the Cabinet Chief of Staff to accomplish the organization of many charitable events and policies. She cites the destigmatization of mental health as one of the most important changes that she has seen during her four years at Bronx Science. “I remember that in my sophomore year, Cabinet worked especially hard to convince the administration to add a social worker as part of our guidance team. We recognized that many people didn’t feel comfortable discussing certain things with their guidance counselors and wanted a more confidential environment to talk about them. Our incredible social worker Ms. Heckman-Perez has filled that need amongst others,” said Khan. Khan has also rigorously worked in climate activism during her four years, and she is a member of Green Team. “Climate activism is something that means so much to me and being a part of that made me realize how important it was to take charge within the communities of which you are a part. With the amazing Green Team members and S.O. resources, we have been able to incorporate more sustainable practices within Bronx Science and have been working on educating more people on what sustainability is and what practicing eco-friendly habits really mean.”

Darya Lollos has been both a leader in Wolverine TV (WTV) and the Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team. During her time in Wolverine TV, she aided in helping WTV become a more tight knit community, and produced greater content. “I feel like the people on WTV have become closer to each other and built a sense of camaraderie among most of us. It has become a pretty democratic organization where everyone’s ideas are valued. We try to let most of our members work in different roles and implement their ideas. Whether these changes or experiments work or not, we always learn from them and work on how to run more efficiently and create more interesting content for the student body,” said Lollos. She has also been a captain of the Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team and led the team to winning the PSAL Championship for two years in a row. “I always stressed positivity on the court. We were a team that played well when we were having fun, but not as well when we were stressed. During any difficult game, I would make a point of reminding my teammates to have fun and not to say anything angry on the court, so we could keep up our positive energy,” said Lollos. 

The students are going to George Washington University, SUNY Buffalo, Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, and University of Michigan respectively. Each of these seniors have accomplished amazing things during their time at Bronx Science, and it is clear that they will do far more in their bright futures. 

“I think there have been many different things that we have altered to the Bronx Science life, like making students more enticed to be in student government, and taking more joy in doing the things S.O. Cabinet does,” said Anthony Bonavita ’20, the S.O. President.