Pixie Brown was nervous before the annual Awards and Scholarships Celebration at Poughkeepsie High School Tuesday evening.
She didn’t know what scholarships she may win. But, that’s not what she was worried about. As the Cadet Squadron Commander of the school’s Air Force Junior ROTC, she was going to be announcing a long list of the club’s awards and service honors herself.
She exhaled after returning to her seat, having delivered the list with clarity and poise. Which is why she was taken aback when she had to return to the stage again, and again.
More than 60 members of the Class of 2026 were honored Tuesday with various scholarships or school-bestowed awards and many, like Brown, left the auditorium needing to do the math on what their numerous scholarships totaled. 
“I was just worried about getting the mission done,” Brown said of her nerves, noting she was happy enough thinking she may only win Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley’s John J. Csizmar Memorial Scholarship, which recognizes Community Service. “I walked out baffled.”
More than $107,000 was awarded Tuesday, with some scholarships renewable for multiple years. That’s in addition to other scholarships not included in the celebration or not yet awarded, and the Rensselaer Medal, a full Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute scholarship worth $160,000, pending acceptance, to Lander Perez-Gonzalez.
Throughout the year, members of the school staff work not only to expose students to higher education opportunities but also to connect them with scholarship applications and offers. Among other efforts, College Readiness and Workforce Education Counselor Kelly Semexant maintains a running list of available scholarships, complete with requirements and deadlines, and circulates each through ParentSquare messages to students and staff.
“Students were granted more than $100,000 in local scholarships alone,” Semexant said. “This is why it’s so important for seniors to apply for local scholarships before applying to national ones.”
Semexant and 12th Grade Counselor Jason Conrad led the presentation, with other members of the staff and some representatives from specific scholarships also speaking and presenting awards. Assistant Principal Joseph Mazzetti provided opening and closing remarks.The annual ceremony is not only an opportunity to announce the outcome of scholarship applications but also for staff to give recognition awards in specific areas of academics or service. At the start of the ceremony, each student who will finish high school with an average of 90 or better was announced and brought onto the stage. They will also sit on stage for the commencement ceremony scheduled for June 26.
Valedictorian Israa Hadine and Salutatorian Aubrey Wood were presented with special medals denoting their place at the top of the class. Each went on to win several more honors as the night progressed, with Hadine taking such honors as the Pioneer Excellence Scholarship, a Poughkeepsie Public Schools Foundation Scholarship and the Richard W. Mitchell Memorial Scholarship, among others.
Kimani Henry showed up to the ceremony dressed for success, with a full suit, a black-and-gray floral tie and a My Brother’s Keeper pin on a lapel, one of several students in formal attire. He may have visited the stage the most of anyone, earning, among other honors, a Csizmar scholarship, a Beyond the Dream Foundation Scholarship, a Michael J. Quinn Scholarship and a Poughkeepsie Public Schools Foundation Scholarship.“I applied to a lot of scholarships,” Henry said. “I didn’t really expect it. I’m really grateful.”
Henry plans to attend Morgan State University, majoring in economics, with plans to get his MBA.
In addition to the Csizmar, Brown’s honors included the Peter Ulbrandt Memorial Award and a Poughkeepsie Leaders of the Future Scholarship, and the Y.E.S. Youth Entrepreneurial System Scholarship for Excellence.
Brown plans to attend Monroe University for its accelerated bachelor’s degree program, with the ultimate goal of becoming a surgeon.
“Big accomplishments, hopefully,” she said.
Mazzetti, in closing the ceremony, reminded the students it was their hard work for years during and before high school, which made the awards possible.
“You should be extremely proud of your accomplishments,” he said. He also asked for all the students to stand from their seats at the front of the auditorium and turn to acknowledge the family and friends in attendance for their years of support. “Your love and guidance have played an immense role in the achievements we celebrated tonight.”
In addition to his own success, Henry marveled at the night, which came less than a month before graduation.
“It’s kind of unbelievable,” he said. “High school really went by that quickly.”