Seniors named semifinalists in Coca-Cola competition

Daniel Scimecca, a senior at MacArthur High School and Faid Faisal, a senior at Division Avenue, were named semifinalists in the annual Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation competition.

BY GARY SIMEONE

Two seniors in the Levittown school district were announced as semifinalists in the annual Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation competition. Daniel Scimecca, a senior at MacArthur High School, and Faid Faisal, a senior at Division Avenue, earned the distinction for their scholastic and athletic achievements.

Scimecca said that his submissions to the Foundation included his transcript, which listed accolades such as being a member of the school’s NHS (National Honor Society), BHS (Business Honor Society) AP Scholar, Level 6 NYSMMA piano player and member of the varsity lacrosse team.

In an essay to the competition, he answered the question about a future job that he d like to hold.

“I wrote that I’d like to be able to teach a college class, specifically stoicism in philosophy,” said Scimecca. “Stoicism deals with ethics and how it pertains to the natural world. It was always a subject that I was very interested in.”

Scimecca, who holds an overall weighted GPA of 100.89, said that his strongest subjects are psychology and biology and that he hopes to major in neuroscience in college.

MacArthur HS Principal Joseph Sheehan said that Scimecca’s work ethic and positive demeanor have helped him to become the young man he is today.

“These two attributes as well as his overall ambition have placed him within an elite category in our student body,” said Sheehan. “I wish Dan nothing but success as he prepares for the next chapter in his educational path.”

Faisal said that he is a first-generation American and that his motivation is to take care of his parents and family.

“My parents moved here from Pakistan and they taught me the value of hard work and a good education,” said Faisal. “I’m the oldest of five siblings, and I want to one day be able to take care of my family like they did for me and my two brothers and sisters.

He said that his biggest inspiration is his father, who works to all hours of the night as an Uber rideshare driver.

Faisal has an overall GPA of 99.2 in his AP classes.

“My strongest subjects are probably math, specifically precalculus and science. I hope to major in engineering in college. Anything that will help me to do well and take care of my family.” p.m.

Faisal has been a member of the school’s varsity basketball team and was honored at the Nassau County Scholar-Athlete award ceremony earli er this year.

He was also awarded the Heisman High School Scholarship as a state finalist.

Faisal has applied and been accepted to colleges, including Princeton and Cornell Universities, Stony Brook and Johns Hopkins Universities.

The two students are among 1,557 semifinalists selected from over 91,000 applicants across the country. They were chosen due their academic and athletic standing as well overall dedication to the community.

Finalists in the Coca-Cola Scholarship competition receive a $20,000 college scholarship.