It’s almost graduation season…

It’s already an accomplishment to be a student at Columbia University, but it is even a greater accomplishment to be named the top students of the Columbia College Class of 2017. Not only have these students put in the time and effort to do well in class, but they’ve gone the extra mile by doing some unbelievable things.

The honor of being the valedictorian of the CC Class of 2017 goes to Michael Abolafia, an English and comparative literature major. Abolafia has been praised by faculty of the Department of English and Comparative Literature. He has co-edited poetry collections and scholarly periodicals, and his writing has been published in the New York Daily News, Brooklyn Magazine, Edison Literary Review, and more. Abolafia has conducted research and has made major literary discoveries. He plans to continue his studies and research at Oxford next year. He will have the opportunity to speak at Columbia College Class Day on Tuesday, May 16.

Hui Yu Wong has been named salutatorian of the CC Class of 2017. Wong is an art history major with a concentration in anthropology. She speaks English, French, and Mandarin, and is currently studying German. Wong has been recognized as teh 2014-2017 Loke Cheng Kim Foundation Scholar for Art History, and has done internships through the American Federation of Arts, the Asia Art Archive in America, and Singapore’s National Gallery. She is currently planning events and workships for the O.P.E.N. Festival in Singapore.

For more information on Abolafia and Wong, check out Columbia College’s announcement.

Congratulations again to Michael Abolafia and Hui Yu Wong!

Image via Wikimedia Commons