The end of the collegiate school year is almost here and one local college has announced the student at the top of this years graduating class.

Utica College has named Remsen native Melanie Carlson as valedictorian of the 2017 graduating class. Carlson is a health studies major and will finish out her undergraduate career with an impressive 4.0 GPA (Grade Point Average).

This CNY native has no plans to leave the Mohawk Valley, at least for now. She is planning on continuing her education at Utica College and will pursue her Master's degree in Occupational therapy.

The college has also announced their Salutatorian. That is St. Paul, Minnesota native Mikhail Bushinski. Bushinski is the owner of his own Ice Cream truck business back in his hometown, he is a member of the Utica College Hockey team, and will finish out his undergraduate education with a 3.8 GPA. Though Bushinski has been accepted to both Harvard and Yale Law Schools, he is considering staying at Utica to first receive his MBA.

Both students will be honored at the 68th Undergraduate Commencement to be held on Sunday, May 7th, 2017. It is incredible that these two intelligent young people are deciding to stay in Utica to continue their journey into professional life.


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