Avantika Naik was named Valedictorian of the Mansfield High School Class of 2020 and will be attending Carnegie Mellon University. (Photo courtesy Mansfield Public Schools) 
Patrick Yu was named Salutatorian of the Mansfield High School Class of 2020 and will be attending Northeastern University. (Photo courtesy Mansfield Public Schools) 
Kayla Bradley is ranked in the Mansfield High School Class of 2020 top 10 and will be attending the University of Massachusetts Boston. (Photo courtesy Mansfield Public Schools) 
Matthew Connelly is ranked in the Mansfield High School Class of 2020 top 10 and will be attending the University of Michigan. (Photo courtesy Mansfield Public Schools) 
Eli Davies is ranked in the Mansfield High School Class of 2020 top 10 and will be attending Miami University in Ohio. (Photo courtesy Mansfield Public Schools) 
Scott Fortune is ranked in the Mansfield High School Class of 2020 top 10 and will be attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst. (Photo courtesy Mansfield Public Schools) 
Elizabeth Healy is ranked in the Mansfield High School Class of 2020 top 10 and will be attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute. (Photo courtesy Mansfield Public Schools) 
Serena Li is ranked in the Mansfield High School Class of 2020 top 10 and will be attending Northeastern University. (Photo courtesy Mansfield Public Schools) 
Peter Oldow is ranked in the Mansfield High School Class of 2020 top 10 and will be attending Middlebury College. (Photo courtesy Mansfield Public Schools) 
Nilay Pangrekar is ranked in the Mansfield High School Class of 2020 top 10 and will be attending Harvey Mudd College. (Photo courtesy Mansfield Public Schools)
MANSFIELD — Superintendent Teresa Murphy is pleased to announce the top 10 graduates of the Mansfield High School Class of 2020.
Class ranking is based on the soon-to-be graduates’ cumulative GPAs for the first semester of this year.
“These students have shown a dedication to their academics, their extracurricular activities and the Mansfield community,” Superintendent Murphy said. “We are proud of these 10 students, as well as the entire class of 2020, and we wish each of them well as they move on to their futures.”
Avantika Naik, Valedictorian, attending Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Naik was captain of the Math Team and vice president of the National Honor Society. She also participated in the High School Quiz Show, was A World of Difference Peer Leader, a member of the French Honors Society and earned her third-degree black belt during her sophomore year. Naik recently helped organize a card drive during which NHS members made cards to be delivered to the residents of the Village at Willow Crossing assisted living facility while they can’t have visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She also helps with the Turkey Brigade each Thanksgiving and has volunteered at the National Black Doll Museum of History & Culture.
Naik received the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) Aspirations in Computing Award and was nominated for the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen Scholarship. She won first and second place at states for the National History Day competition and attended nationals twice. Her second year, her documentary played at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Naik plans to study computational biology at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science.
Patrick Yu, Salutatorian, attending Northeastern University
While at Mansfield High School, Yu was a member of the Spanish National Honor Society, Tri-M Honor Society and the Orchestra, and was a co-founder of the school’s Computer Science Club. Yu was involved in community service in the town through his participation in the Mansfield Clean Up each year. He also held an engineering internship at Virgin Pulse in Providence, Rhode Island.
Yu plans to study computer science at Northeastern University and was awarded the Dean’s Scholarship.
The remaining honorees, in alphabetical order, are:
Kayla Bradley, attending the University of Massachusetts Boston
Matthew Connelly, attending the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Eli Davies, attending Miami University in Oxford, Ohio
Scott Fortune, attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst
Elizabeth Healy, attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Serena Li, attending Northeastern University
Peter Oldow, attending Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont
Nilay Pangrekar, attending Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California
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