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MMI students earn honors at science competition

MMI Preparatory School students had a strong showing at the recent Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science competition held at Wilkes University. Pictured are, from left, first row: Adviser Shannon Falcheck, Callie Mason, Marissa Yamulla, Shreeya Parikh, Siya Patel, Arianny Nieves and adviser Michele Tyburski, Second row: Adviser Michael Mele, Diane Kim, Winni Zheng, Madelyn Young, Yeleiny Paniagua, Gabrielle Carsia, Arushi Solgama and Yoreimy Aponte. Third row: Ava Genetti, Megan Yamulla, Riley Mason, Sharon Zhueng, Alexis Bleiler, Yaslin Tejeda and Katherine Arias. Fourth row: Philip Benyo, Samantha Gatts, Cedrah Abdulrahman, Alexa Fazio, Christina Chrin, Madalynn Young and Anna Zaroda. Fifth row: Andrew Pedri, Gavin Serock, Jackson Moore, Zachary Naugle, Ian Composto, Gavyn Corchado and Cassidy McDermott. Sixth row: David Yamulla, Joseph Mayernik, Sharon Parikh, Rishi Patel, Gabriel Horvath and Kiyan Paknezhad. Absent from the photo: Georgia Washko, Kenedy Lutz, Olivia Moore and Angelina Seeba. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Published March 21. 2025 01:32PM

MMI Preparatory School students had an outstanding showing at the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science competition held March 1 at Wilkes University, Head of School Theresa Long said.

The school in Freeland’s 44 participating students earned 34 first-place awards, 11 second-place awards and one third-place award, with several students achieving top honors.

“The level of success our students achieved at PJAS is remarkable,” Long said. “To have 44 students competing out of the 506 total participants speaks volumes about the strength of our science program and the dedication of our faculty and students.

Among the first-place award recipients, six students earned perfect scores: Cedrah Abdulrahman ’26, Philip Benyo ’27, Shreeya Parikh ’28, Arushi Solgama ’26, Winni Zheng ’25 and Sharon Zhuang ’27. Additionally, three students received Excellence Awards, recognition given to only 12 upper school and 12 middle school students for demonstrating the highest level of project performance: Rishi Patel ’26 (Biochemistry), Shreeya Parikh ’28 (Chemistry) and Kiyan Paknezhad ’25 (Engineering).

Perseverance Awards were earned by Diane Kim ’25 for three years of PJAS projects and Kiyan Paknezhad ’25 for four years of competition. Paknezhad also earned a Wilkes University scholarship, one of only two students selected through an extensive application and interview process.

All first-place winners will advance to the state-level competition at Penn State’s main campus in May.

The following students earned first-place awards and advanced: Cedrah Abdulrahman ’26 (Botany), Philip Benyo ’27 (Microbiology), Alexis Bleiler ’26 (Biochemistry), Gabriella Carsia ’28 (Earth Space), Christina Chrin ’27 (Biology), Ian Composto ’27 (Biochemistry), Alexa Fazio ’27 (Biology), Ava Genetti ’26 (Microbiology), Diane Kim ’25 (Biology), Calli Mason ’28 (Biochemistry), Riley Mason ’30 (Ecology), Joseph Mayernik ’26 (Biochemistry), Cassidy McDermott ’26 (Biochemistry), Olivia Moore ’28 (Microbiology), Zachary Naugle ’28 (Math), Arianny Nieves ’28 (Biology), Kiyan Paknezhad ’25 (two first-place projects in Engineering), Yeleiny Paniagua ’26 (Biology), Shreeya Parikh ’28 (Chemistry), Sharan Parikh ’26 (Math), Rishi Patel ’26 (Biochemistry), Gavin Serock ’28 (Physics), Ruhani Shah ’27 (Biochemistry), Arushi Solgama ’26 (Ecology), David Yamulla ’26 (Biology), Megan Yamulla ’30 (Chemistry), Marissa Yamulla ’28 (Ecology), Madelyn Young ’26 (Biochemistry), Madalynn Young ’28 (Ecology), Anna Zaroda ’27 (Math), Winni Zheng ’25 (Microbiology and Behavioral) and Sharon Zhuang ’27 (Biology).

Second-place awards were earned by: Yoreimy Aponte ’27 (Behavioral), Katherine Arias ’27 (Biochemistry), Samantha Gatts ’26 (Biology), Gabriel Horvath ’26 (Biochemistry), Kenedy Lutz ’27 (Biochemistry), Jackson Moore ’28 (Biology), Siya Patel ’28 (Microbiology), Andrew Pedri ’28 (Ecology), Angelina Seeba ’27 (Behavioral), Yaselin Tejeda Nivar ’29 (Biochemistry) and Georgia Washko ’26 (Biology).

The third-place award was given to Gavyn Corchado ’27 (Computer Science).

MMI’s Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science program is led by adviser Michael Mele, who emphasized the critical thinking and communication skills students develop through this experience.

“PJAS challenges students to design and conduct independent research, analyze data and present their findings in a professional setting,” Mele said. “These skills — problem-solving, scientific inquiry and public speaking — are essential not only in STEM fields but in any future career.”

MMI faculty members Shannon Falcheck, Michele Tyburski, Heather Grimm, Tammy Chrin, Tony Bianco and Melissa Zaroda provided lab support, project reviews and mentorship throughout the research process, ensuring students were well-prepared for the competition. In addition, Falcheck, Tyburski and Chrin served as volunteer judges at the event, evaluating student presentations and providing expert feedback.

To learn more about academics at MMI, visit www.mmiprep.org/academics/.