CCNY's Class of 2017 Valedictorian Ellianna Schwab [left] and Salutatorian Elaine Johnson.
Ellianna Schwab, the first of her siblings to attend college and a recent NSF Graduate Research Fellowship recipient, is The City College of New York’s Class of 2017 Valedictorian. Elaine Johnson, born and raised in Harlem of Jamaican immigrant parents, will be the Salutatorian at CCNY’s 171st Commencement Exercises on June 2.
The ceremony starts at 9 a.m. on CCNY’s South Campus Great Lawn. The Class of 2017 comprises approximately 3,766 students.
Following are brief bios of the Valedictorian and Salutatorian:
Ellianna Schwab
The upper Manhattan resident is graduating from the Macaulay Honors College at CCNY with research honors in physics and a 3.9 GPA. Schwab, who is receiving a BS degree, has been accepted to top-ranked astrophysics PhD programs, including Columbia University and UC Berkeley.
In addition to her 2017 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Schwab’s other top honors at CCNY include a Goldwater Scholarship (2016), the Chambliss Astronomy Student Achievement Award for Best Undergraduate Poster (2016); Best Poster, Columbia University Astrofest 2016 and Astrocom NYC Scholar (2015).
Elaine Johnson
Like her 2016 predecessor as Salutatorian, Orubba Almansouri, Johnson is a SEEK student graduating with distinction. She has completed a BA in CCNY’s Psychology Honors Program with a 3.9 GPA.
The Harlem resident won a Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship (2015), The Colin Powell Program in Leadership and Service award (2015), and recognition from the Chi Alpha Epsilon National Honor Society, and the psychology international honor society, Psi Chi.
She will be doing research on the development of resilience in youth at the University of Cambridge in England before pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology.
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided low-cost, high-quality education for New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. Today more than 16,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight professional schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. Now celebrating its 170th anniversary, CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.