Class of 2020: David Metacarpa - Salutatorian, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School

David Metacarpa

SALUTATORIAN

PARENTS: Nicole Metacarpa and David Metacarpa Sr.

COLLEGE: Amherst College

AFTER COLLEGE: See where the world takes me

WHAT IS IT LIKE GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL IN THE MIDDLE OF A GLOBAL PANDEMIC: Not as surreal as I thought it would be. It’s anticlimactic, of course, but I still get a huge grin every time I think about how close I am to getting my diploma.

WHAT DID I LEARN ABOUT MYSELF AND MY CLASSMATES THIS SEMESTER: A lot of one’s personality is determined by the other people they are around. Now that everyone has been on their own for a little while, we’ve all started to develop unique personalities and find out who we really are.

WHAT IS A MEMORY OF YOUR SENIOR YEAR YOU’LL NEVER FORGET: Qualifying for Nike Cross Nationals back in November. Outside of our team, very few people believed we could make it, and no major running website predicted us to finish in a qualifying spot (top two teams in the NY region). On top of that, I had not raced in a little over a month due to Lyme Disease and a foot injury. Working as hard as we could, we all pulled it together on race day and earned our tickets out to Portland.

WHAT WILL YOU MISS MOST ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL: The close friendships I made

WHAT’S IN YOUR MUSIC PLAYER: A mix of all sorts of genres but mostly house

BEST PART ABOUT GRADUATING: More autonomy and chances to experience what the rest of the world has to offer

WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES ME: Tommy Caldwell