Meet the Class of 2025 Mount Vernon STEAM Academy Valedictorian and Salutatorian

In just two weeks, seniors of the Mount Vernon City School District will be celebrating their final days as high school students and walking across the graduation stage and into the real world. At Mount Vernon STEAM Academy, two students who have molded themselves into well-rounded scholars will lead their class. STEAM has chosen Isaac Alvarado Calderon and Aidan Forman as its Class of 2025 valedictorian and salutatorian. 

Check out this fun conversation with Isaac and Aidan to learn more about the valedictorian and salutatorian!

Isaac Alvarado Calderon has been chosen as Mount Vernon STEAM Academy’s valedictorian for the Class of 2025 based on his merit, academics and passion to keep learning. Isaac has earned a cumulative grade point average of 103.

Since the eighth grade, Isaac has kept an unbreakable streak of being named on the Principal’s Honor Roll, meaning he has never slipped below a 90 in any marking period. Isaac takes the time inside and outside of the classroom to constantly learn and grow as a student and person. 

One of his greatest accomplishments comes from his teaching himself a new curriculum of Calculus II, which was not offered at his school. He became his own teacher and even convinced the administration and his math teacher to allow him to take the AP Calculus II exam, which he is very proud of. 

Isaac currently takes a range of Advanced Placement (AP) courses at STEAM, including AP Calculus, AP Literature and Composition, AP Government and Politics, and AP Biology. The completion of these classes and a satisfactory grade on an AP exam allows a student the chance to gain college credits. Isaac’s favorite class during his senior year was AP Calculus with Ms. Jacobs. 

“It's just so complex,” said Isaac. “It's so beautiful. I love the fact that math is built like a little staircase. Oh no, a big staircase where you cannot know one part of the subject if you haven't learned the previous parts.” 

When Isaac is not reading calculus textbooks or studying and sharpening his mind, he is taking part in his hobbies or hanging out with friends. He loves drawing, playing video games, and even coding and game development. Isaac participated in a contest held by Environmental Leaders of Color, where he was able to learn coding languages such as Python and create his own platform game for a $100 prize. He tied in first place, and Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard matched the prize, bringing it up to $200. 

At school, Isaac has dedicated time to spreading his love of knowledge and teaching to other students. During the past three school years, he has volunteered to help tutor other students in Spanish, AP Chemistry, and Calculus. This year, Isaac used tutoring in calculus to help him build his knowledge and prepare himself for the upcoming exam. He spent hours teaching other students from all over the world remotely and built himself up in the process. 

“It completely helped,” said Isaac. “It was completely useful. Tutoring refreshes all that knowledge.” 

Isaac has applied to several colleges, including Binghamton University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rensselaer Institute of Technology, Loyola University, Columbia University and Cornell University. He has accepted an offer of admission into the New York Institute of Technology with a $40,000 scholarship per school year to study electrical engineering.  

Isaac is excited to expand his mind and apply the self-discipline he learned in his senior year to more rigorous courses and subjects. He is excited to conduct research in these topics and meet new friends who study the same things as he does. 

After college, Isaac plans to get a license as an electrical engineer in New York State to help his parents start an electrical services company. He is inspired by his stepdad, who was an engineer for the Ecuadorian Navy, and his mother, who is skilled in business administration.

“She has taught me so many, you know, life choices, all that type of stuff, how to do proper financial management. And I thank both of them for leading me to who I am right now.”

Mount Vernon STEAM Academy has named Aidan Forman as the salutatorian for the Class of 2025. He will be graduating with a cumulative grade point average of 98. 

Aidan balances a heavy class schedule, including several Advanced Placement courses. He is a student of AP Biology, AP Government and Politics, AP English, and AP Calculus. He enjoys learning about sciences, which involve problem-solving and learning how the world works

His greatest accomplishment from high school was being named salutatorian, which came as a surprise to him. During graduation, Aidan and the valedictorian, Isaac, will give a speech, addressing their classmates for the last time. 

“I was definitely surprised,” said Aidan. 

Aidan was also involved outside of the classroom. He was a member of the esports team, where he participated in tournaments and competitions. He loves video games, so the esports team was a great opportunity for Aidan to make friends and get involved in the school community. 

Aidan also participated in the ACE (Architecture, Construction, Engineering) Mentor Program in the tenth grade, where students visited the Con Edison headquarters and talked to professionals in the fields of architecture, construction, and engineering. Through that program, he learned the day-to-day experience of an engineer and what you could expect from those job fields. 

Aidan has applied to many colleges, even venturing to institutions outside of America. He has applied to Northeastern University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Stony Brook University, University at Buffalo, and Union College.  In Canada, he has applied to the University of Waterloo, the University of Calgary, and the University of Alberta. 

Aidan will be attending the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and has received several scholarships, including an award of $1,000 for winning the Sir Isaac Newton Exam Contest. He has received over $90,000 in scholarships from other university acceptances. 

Aidan was drawn to the University of Waterloo due to their highly ranked STEM programs and the Co-OP program, which is on par, if not better, than other universities. He will be studying physics and exploring software engineering or computer science as a possible minor. He will be pursuing a career in patent law post-college. 

“I think my time at STEAM prepared me pretty well, because it gave me a good background for all the science,” said Aidan.  “It gave me a good starting point for all the math classes and the workload this year, and for a good chunk of last year, which has prepared me well for what the workload would probably be like at Waterloo.”

Aidan is very excited for the college experience and can't wait to experience the rigorous classes and new clubs that the University of Waterloo has to offer. 

“I guess my only advice is, if you want to achieve, if you have a goal in mind, then you can't rely on other people to get it done for you,” said Aidan, advising underclassmen who want to achieve high grades.  “You've got to put in the work and get it done and do it yourself. So, I guess, be willing to take matters into your own hands and put in the hard work.”