Ian Viegas, this year’s salutatorian, did not let the pandemic or the virtual academic setting hinder his amazing academic and extracurricular accomplishments.

As a student in Ramapo’s Engineering University Program, most of his classes were STEM and engineering related. When asked about his favorite classes, he said, “Some of my favorite classes would have to be Calculus BC, Digital Electronics, and Economics. In all of these classes, my teachers were amazing, we did many fun projects, and learned about very interesting topics.” With the help of his teachers, he was able to discover his passion for engineering. 

To add to the myriad of his impressive achievements, Viegas was a national merit finalist and was accepted into the Governor’s School of Science: a three week college level science research immersion summer program that is highly selective. 

In addition to being academically accomplished, Viegas is a member of the Ramapo Tennis Team, Academic Decathlon team, as well as both the math and computer science clubs. Most notable of his array of extracurriculars is his participation on the Robotics Team and the memories he made while a part of the team. 

Many of Viegas’s favorite memories of Ramapo came from the Robotics Team. He reminisced saying, “We would often spend late evenings working together on our robot and our success in competitions was very rewarding. Not to mention, I had an amazing time with friends both at club meetings and exploring the city in between competitions.” While on the team, Viegas created memories and friendships that will last him a lifetime, always keeping a part of Ramapo with him. 

Since most of the year was virtual, Viegas was excited to be able to attend Decision Day in person. “I truly enjoyed the 2021 Decision Day where I was finally able to see many old faces as graduation approaches. After a year and a half of virtual school, it was very nice to hang out with my friends on the field.”

Viegas is highly regarded by his peers, teachers, and other advisors. His guidance counselor, Mrs. Dondero, commented on Viegas saying, “Ian is a strongly motivated, focused, and goal-driven individual, always putting in extra time and energy in pursuit of his goals and passions. Ian has made a positive impact on many extracurricular activities here at Ramapo and the local community and been a model student in the classroom. It has been a pleasure to work with Ian these past four years and I am excited to see the many accomplishments I know he will achieve in the future!”

Viegas is the perfect representation of the resilience and perseverance of the Class of 2021. In the fall, he will be attending Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering.