BURRILLVILLE – The top achieving students in the Burrillville High School Class of 2022 will go on to college next year with impressive scholarships, after high school careers that boast long lists of achievements both in and out of the classroom.
Kaitlyn Pristawa is the valedictorian and Sophia Emidy is the salutatorian of this year’s Bronco class, set to walk the stage on Saturday, June 11 at the East Avenue school.
Pristawa, the daughter of Kimberly and Steve Pristawa, is the only student in the Class of 2022 to ever hold the #1 ranking. She is a three-sport varsity athlete in cross country, basketball and softball; and has earned multiple Outstanding Student of the Year and Student of the Month awards in her academic coursework, according to a release from the school this week.
“Extracurricular activities are not ‘extra’ to Kaitlyn, but part of her everyday routines and interests,” the release noted. “She embodies what it means to be a leader on the trail, court and field, and how to be a team player in every capacity. Adults continuously speak not only of her drive to improve her own skills, but more importantly how hard she works to further others’ success.”
Pristawa has contributed over 50 hours of community service during her high school career. She is the Class of 2022 secretary, DECA State Secretary and a member of Burrillville Prevention Action Coalition Youth, National Honor Society, Diversity Council and Student Advisory Board at BHS.
Recently, Pristawa presented a workshop with her fellow DECA state officers on behalf of RI DECA at the regional leadership conference in Boston, Mass. More than 200 students were in attendance for her workshop entitled Self Motivation: Time Management.
BHS’s highest-achieving student from the Class of 2022 will be attending Babson College for business administration, with concentrations in entrepreneurship and global & regional studies. Pristwa notes she will also play Division III softball at Babson, and is one of only six students in the college’s Class of 2026 to be selected as an Arthur M. Blank School of Entrepreneurial Leadership Scholar, earning a full tuition scholarship for all four years.
“The BHS administration, faculty, staff and community are sad to see her leave, but are excited for what is to come for her certainly successful future,” the release noted of Pristawa.
Salutatorian Emidy is the daughter of Sandra and Thomas Emidy. She is a member of the National Honor Society; president of BHS’s National Honor Society Chapter; Student of the Year in Biomedical Science and Student of the Year in Introduction to Business. She won first place in ‘Team Role-play’ in the 2020 DECA Statewide Competition, also winning first place in the competition at the 2021 DECA Statewide Competition.
“Over the past four years, Sophia Emidy has repeatedly demonstrated her knowledge and passion for learning and giving back to her community,” administrators from the school noted. “Her contributions and concern for bettering those around her is nothing short of admirable.”
Emidy will complete BHS’s Career & Technical Education Biomedical Science program. She is actively involved in Burrillville High School’s Diversity Club, as well as Burrillville’s DECA Program, where she has qualified for the National Competition two years in a row.
Emidy is also captain of the school’s field hockey team, and was awarded with All-Tournament team in 2018; Honorable Mention All-Division and the MVP Award in 2019; and First Team All-Division and All-Tournament Team in 2020. She has also volunteered much of her time teaching citizenship classes, helping out at Goodwill Industries of Rhode Island and working at COVID-19 vaccine clinics during the pandemic.
Emidy will be attending Northeastern University, where she has earned a $43,600 scholarship per year and will major in cell and molecular biology.
“Sophia will be greatly missed at BHS,” a release noted. “The administration, faculty, staff and community firmly believe she will do remarkable things.”
