Meet Oyster Bay High School's Class of 2027 Valedictorian: Aari Gupta

For Oyster Bay High School senior Aari Gupta, academic excellence runs in the family. As the Class of 2027 valedictorian, Aari is continuing a remarkable family tradition. His older brother, Aavi, was valedictorian of the Class of 2020, while his sister, Riya, was salutatorian of the Class of 2021. All three Gupta siblings have now earned a place among the top two students in their graduating classes at Oyster Bay High School.

Despite his siblings' impressive achievements, Aari says his family encouraged him to forge his own path rather than follow in their footsteps.

"You would think this means a lot of pressure was placed on me to live up to them," he said. "However, my siblings and parents were very supportive, which allowed me to find my own path and discover my own interests."

Aari has attended Oyster Bay-East Norwich schools since kindergarten, beginning at Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School before moving on to James H. Vernon School and Oyster Bay High School. Throughout his academic career, he has distinguished himself through his intellectual curiosity, strong work ethic and wide-ranging interests.

With an unweighted GPA of 99.61, a weighted GPA of 114.21 and a 1540 SAT score, Aari's academic record is exceptional. He has earned perfect scores on seven Regents and world language examinations and scored a 5 on all 10 Advanced Placement exams he has completed. A two-time AP Scholar with Distinction and National Merit Commended Scholar, he is currently taking five additional AP courses while independently preparing for two more AP exams.

His passion for mathematics, computer science and engineering extends well beyond the classroom. Aari has participated in the Harvard Computer Society's AI and Machine Learning Bootcamp, completed college-level calculus coursework at Nassau Community College and collaborated on a research project through Louisiana State University's Virtual Math Research Circle. He also serves as co-vice president of the school's Science Olympiad team, where he has competed in regional engineering challenges involving the design and construction of electric vehicles, hovercrafts and other mechanical devices.

Among his many classes, Aari identifies AP Physics 1 as his favorite, crediting teacher Mr. Schlendorf with changing the way he approaches learning. Rather than relying on traditional lectures, the class challenged students to develop scientific models and equations through guided exploration and problem-solving.

"AP Physics 1 was the first class I took where the goal was to ask why and really learn for mastery, not just completion," he said.

While academics have been a major focus of his high school years, music has been equally important to Aari's experience. A trombone player since fourth grade, he has performed with the school's Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble and musical theater pit band. He is a four-time All-County musician and two-time All-State selection, having earned perfect scores on his All-State auditions in consecutive years. He is also a candidate for the National Association for Music Education's All-Eastern Honors Ensembles.

In fact, Aari considers his selection to the NYSSMA All-State Conference among his proudest accomplishments, particularly because his musical development took an unconventional path. After progressing from a Level 4 NYSSMA solo in ninth grade to a perfect score on his All-State audition in 10th grade, he discovered a new confidence in his abilities as a musician.

One of his favorite high school memories was performing at Carnegie Hall with the school's Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble during his freshman year. The experience was particularly meaningful because he had attended a concert there six years earlier to watch his older siblings perform.

Outside of academics and music, Aari is a four-year member of the varsity bowling team, serves in leadership roles in several student organizations and belongs to numerous academic honor societies.

Looking ahead, Aari plans to study computer science and mathematics in college, with a long-term interest in pursuing a career in quantitative finance, potentially as a quantitative software engineer.

Reflecting on his years at Oyster Bay High School, Aari encourages younger students to work hard while making time to rest, explore their interests and focus on genuine learning rather than grades alone. He also believes students should measure their progress against their own goals rather than the accomplishments of their peers.

"The only person you should compare yourself to is who you were yesterday," he said. "Try to improve day after day, and you will succeed."

As he prepares for the next chapter, Aari credits the supportive environment at Oyster Bay-East Norwich with helping him discover his interests and develop the skills to pursue them.

"Oyster Bay High School is a special place," he said. "The class sizes are small, our teachers are extremely dedicated, and we make up a tight-knit community."

From his earliest days at Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School to his final year at Oyster Bay High School, Aari has embraced the opportunities available to him, building an impressive record of achievement while discovering passions that will continue to shape his future.