#1 Mya Reynolds

Toll Gate’s Valedictorian and future Brown Bear Mya Reynolds plans to pursue biology, building on her volunteer work with the Rhode Island Blood Center. In her four years at Toll Gate, she played for the golf and cheer teams, practiced capoeira, and worked at Iggy’s Doughboys and Chowder House in Oakland Beach.

The recipient of an AP Scholar award and a Harvard Book Award, Reynolds was a member of both the National and Spanish Honor Societies and regularly made the honor roll.

“My personal goals and desire to succeed in the future are my motivators in all aspects of my life,” Reynolds wrote. “I push myself to be the best version of myself.”

Reynolds thanked her family, friends and teachers for their support in her pursuits: “It is because of their unconditional love and encouragement that I am where I am today.” Reynolds noted that while physics with Ms. Catanzaro was her most challenging subject, it was ultimately her most rewarding.

“Over the past four years I have been fortunate to grow and succeed alongside my best friends; Riley” — who ranked #10 — “and Leah,” Reynolds wrote. She recalled spending time with her peers in and outside of school.

“From attending sports games to laughing hysterically in Ms. Biafore’s AP Calculus class, it is the interactions I had with friends and classmates that I am most fond of.”

#2 Ja’Qwan Burrill

Salutatorian Ja’Qwan Burrill will be heading to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the fall to study computer science. At Toll Gate, he participated in the drama club, the math team and the National Honor Society, where he served as president. Burrill also competed in the Academic Decathlon, winning a gold medal in Social Science and a bronze medal in Science last March, along with a $500 scholarship from the Speaker of the House.

Burrill was named a recipient of the 2023 Yale Book Award and the 2023 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Medalist Award. At Toll Gate, he won awards in biology, physics, French and computer science.

“As cliché as it may sound, I genuinely have a passion for learning,” Burrill wrote. “I feel the need to understand how things work.”

Burrill reflected on “walks around B3 at the beginning of each day” and “Calculator Gate,” where he lost his calculator at the beginning of senior year and several faculty and teachers tried to help him find it — to no avail.

Burrill thanked “teachers, faculty and family” for their support throughout high school. “There’s only so many hours in a school day to learn, (but) with their help and flexibility, I was able to get this far in my academic career.”

“Whenever I needed help with anything, they were there, regardless of the circumstance,” he wrote.

#3 Adeline Areson

Ranking third in Toll Gate’s class of 2024, Adeline Areson served as captain of the girls soccer, basketball and lacrosse teams, as well as class vice president. Areson pursued the biomedical pathway in high school and will attend the University of Connecticut at the Storrs Campus as a member of the Army ROTC with a major in nursing.

A vocal member of Varsity Athletes Against Substance Abuse and frequent Athlete of the Week, Areson received numerous basketball and soccer accolades in her time at Toll Gate, among other awards. She was also a member of state and national honor societies, a State House student civic liaison and a competitor on the math team.

In addition to being highly self-motivated, Areson listed her older brother, parents and peers as inspirations for her hard work.

“Ever since I was a young girl, I have always wanted to be the best that I can be no matter if it is in school, playing sports or just being a good friend,” Areson wrote. “I always want to go after something that I am passionate about with full force and always try my best.”

Areson especially thanked Toll Gate principal Ms. Caluori, who “has helped me more than she knows, through all my ups and downs she was always there for me… I could not thank her enough for that.”

She reflected on the highs and lows of high school — dances, get-togethers, and hallway chats. “I am going to remember all the relationships I have created at Toll Gate and all the people that have gotten me to where I am today.”

#4 Benjamin Hamilton

Benjamin Hamilton, who ranked fourth in this year’s graduating class, is bound for the University of Rhode Island. Hamilton plans to major in Secondary Education with a focus on English. At Toll Gate, Hamilton was co-captain of indoor and outdoor track, as well as a member of the cross country and robotics teams.

A member of both the national and state honor societies, Hamilton was a recipient of the RIDE Future Educator Award and multiple state track accolades. At Toll Gate, he received the Mark Wheeler and Ryan Wingren Memorial scholarships, along with Student of the Quarter and an award for outstanding achievement in English Language Arts.

“What I’ll remember most about my high school years is all the great memories I made running track with my friends,” Hamilton wrote. “Practicing every day with that great group of people is something I’ll really miss.”

He thanked mentors Mr. Belanger and Mr. Ricci, as well as his parents: “They molded me into who I am.”

In his time at Toll Gate, Hamilton drew motivation from his college aspirations as well as a desire to “test his limits.”

“I’ve gained confidence in who I am and what I can do,” he wrote.

#5 Eliza Noel

Eliza Noel, an incoming Environmental Science major at the University of Vermont, ranked fifth in Toll Gate’s class of 2024. Her high school pursuits included art club, inclusion and diversity club and drama club. In addition to horseback riding and volunteering at Westbay Marketplace, Noel was a member of the national, state, and Spanish honor societies.

“I’ll never be able to forget about beginning my freshman year on the computer and then finally coming into a new school, wearing a mask, and always getting lost,” Noel wrote. “I’ve gotten to share these experiences with great friends and teachers who have played a huge role in cultivating my love for science.”

Noel was especially inspired by her teachers, including Mrs. Washington and Mr. Hodge — “both one of a kind teachers (who) ... have been unwaveringly supportive of my education and my accomplishments.”

She attributed her academic success to her “high academic expectations” and a desire to reciprocate her teachers’ “dedication to my education.”

“My parents have been my biggest supporters in life, and I want to continue to excel to make them proud,” Noel wrote.

#6 Faith Daggett

Ranking sixth in Toll Gate’s class of 2024, Faith Daggett will head west to the University of Connecticut as an Exploratory student within the Honors College. A member of the national, state, and Spanish honor societies, Daggett played basketball and ran cross country for Toll Gate.

At Toll Gate, Daggett was a frequent high honor roll member, Student of the Quarter recipient and essay prize winner. She was a tour guide for Toll Gate’s orientation and participated in the Mentor RI program.

“I have taken every opportunity to become a well-rounded student, from partaking in extracurricular activities to taking advanced courses and joining academic societies,” Daggett wrote.

Daggett attributed her academic motivations to her family and “growing up with a single mother who always wanted what was best for my siblings and I.” She also reflected on meeting like-minded peers throughout high school.

Despite hardships, Daggett wrote, “I felt it my responsibility to become the best version of myself possible.”

“I believe that it is my duty to achieve my full potential as an individual so I can one day provide the same support that was given to me,” she wrote.

#7 Brayden Ogden

Brayden Ogden ranked seventh in Toll Gate’s class of 2024 and plans to major in business with a minor in pre-law at Plymouth State University. Ogden served as captain for the varsity baseball team and a driver for the robotics team. He was a member of the national and Spanish honor societies as well as Varsity Athletes Against Substance Abuse.

Ogden also received the Clarkson University Book Award and won third prize in the Rhode Island History Day Virtual Contest for Individual Documentary.

He expressed appreciation for his teachers’ influence on his success, as well as his close friends. He reflected on memories made at hockey games, spirit weeks and pep rallies with the “close-knit class of ’24” as they “developed into a family”: “Having close bonds with teachers, classmates and friends has made all the difference.”

Ogden drew motivation for his academic success from his parents. “I aim to make them proud in everything that I do, which starts with my education,” he wrote. “I continue to stand by my reasoning that the hard work we put in now will only make future challenges easier to overcome.”

#8 Makenzie Murphy

Makenzie Murphy, who ranked eighth in this year’s graduating class, plans to major in Communication Sciences & Disorders with a minor in Education Studies when she heads to Stonehill College in the fall.

Murphy captained the varsity cheerleading team and mentored for the Mentor RI program, balancing her studies with 16 years of dance. In addition to being a part of state, national and Italian honor societies, Murphy is an AP scholar with honors and received the Italian Language Achievement Award.

“My motivation to excel stems from the support of my family and pushing myself to accomplish my goals,” Murphy wrote. “The time and effort that I have put into my academics has allowed me to (get to) where I am today.”

Murphy credited AP Psychology with Mr. Hayes for her chosen career path: child speech pathology. She also thanked Mrs. Washington, her family, friends and teachers for their support.

#9 Alison Pankowicz

Ranking ninth in the senior class, Alison Pankowicz will run division 1 cross country and track and field as she enrolls in the College of Pharmacy PharmD Program at the University of Rhode Island. While at Toll Gate, Pankowicz won several awards in cross country and track and field, setting school records and earning multiple all-state designations while captaining the team.

At Toll Gate, Pankowicz participated in the world language honor society and the national honor society, regularly making the high honor roll. She reflected on how running track and field taught her the value of collaboration, perseverance and “learning by doing.”

“Failing can teach us more than achieving, whether in the classroom or on the track,” Pankowicz wrote. “This is a lesson from Toll Gate that I will take with me for the rest of my education, and life.”

Pankowicz expressed gratitude for her parents, teachers and coaches for their support as she discovered a love for helping others and a passion for pharmacy. She especially thanked coaches Norman Bouthilier and Jared DeAlmon, who helped her “become the best version of myself, both on and off the track.”

“I’ve learned the importance of only accepting the positives and not getting fettered by the negatives,” Pankowicz wrote. “These challenges are what has motivated me to be the best I can be and make my teammates, coaches and Titan community proud.”

#10 Riley Giroux

Riley Giroux plans to pursue Behavioral Neuroscience at Northeastern University after graduating ranked tenth in Toll Gate’s class of 2024. Giroux captained varsity basketball, volleyball and golf at Toll Gate, worked as a senior dockhand at Safe Harbor Cowesett and volunteered at the Sharing Locker in East Greenwich. She was a member of state, national and Italian honors societies, winning Student of the Quarter and the Brown Book Award.