Out of roughly 184 students who are in the class of 2019 at Cinnaminson High School, two received the honor of being this year’s valedictorian and salutatorian. Cinnaminson’s valedictorian, Megan Tumelty, and salutatorian, Emily Ma, stood out from the rest not only by attaining academic success, but also by lending a helpful hand through hours of community service.
Over the past summer, Ma volunteered at a local church for a music camp where she acted as the camp counselor and music teacher. Ma’s ability to teach the children how to play violin and piano came natural as she is the Cinnaminson’s band solo pianist. Ma has also been a member of the National Honor Society, Homecoming Committee, Battle of the Books, Math League and various other clubs.
“I feel really honored to be in the position,” said Ma. “During high school, all I ever thought about was just working hard and dedicating myself to my work in the classrooms, but also in the community. It’s great to know that the hard work paid off.
“Cinnaminson really allowed me to succeed,” Ma continued. “Cinnaminson is such a welcoming community and I feel like I am well prepared because I went to this school and had such great teachers and resources. I’m so happy that I was able to be a part of it.”
Ma will be attending Princeton University this fall and will major in operations research and financial engineering. According to Ma, her passion for mathematics has led her to this major. She enjoys the ability to apply mathematics to real-world situations to find solutions within the sciences, business and everyday society.
Tumelty will be heading to Villanova University to pursue a degree in mathematics and biology. Her passion for mathematics is something she shares with Ma and something they both developed during their tenure at Cinnaminson.
In fact, Tumelty began her tenure at Cinnaminson High School while she was still in eighth grade. Tumelty would attend first period to take Honors Geometry before heading back to the middle school to take the rest of her classes. Tumelty’s hard work through the years has also led her to being awarded the Burlington County’s Outstanding Women’s Elizabeth Coleman White Stem Award and a $1,000 scholarship.
“When I found out about the award and being named valedictorian, I was just proud that my hard work paid off,” said Tumelty. “I’m excited to speak in front of class, but a little nervous too. The process of figuring out exactly what you want to say is pretty difficult, but I’m excited to tallk to my classmates one last time before we head off to different colleges.”
Tumelty was also a member of the National Honor Society, Physics Club, a mentoring club called Cinnamentors, and is a member of the Class of 2019 Homecoming and Prom Committee. Tumelty is also a four-year Student Council treasurer, plays field hockey and runs track. In addition to her school activities, she also volunteers at Voorhees Pediatric Facility where she reads and plays with children.
