The Henry P. Becton Regional High School community takes immense pride in the achievements and aspirations of its remarkable students. The work ethic and determination in each Wildcat student contributes to the well-roundedness of our student body as a whole. Starting off strong this school year, Becton is proud to be home to the outstanding early-rising senior, Baback Ghalamsiah.
Ghalamsiah has taken extraordinary academic and personal strides, enabling him to earn his diploma a year early and making him the youngest student of the 2025 graduating class. His determination and academic rigor– demonstrated through taking multiple online AP courses, coupled with an extensive range of honors courses, have prepared him to walk across the stage a year early, this upcoming June.
Outside of his academic excellence, Ghalamsiah is part of many extracurricular activities. He is a member of the Debate Team, Environmental Club, Swim Team and Peer Leadership. Ghalamsiah is also a part of the National Honor Society and was inducted at age 15.
During the summer, you could find Ghalamsiah at the nation’s capitol involved in the Summer Science Program, which he speaks fondly of, encouraging other students to enroll in this upcoming spring! Outside of school, he is committed to giving back through his continued work on research and policy all while running a non-profit for low income communities based in Paterson. At NYU’s Mostafavi lab, he had the incredible opportunity to collaborate closely with a professor and a graduate student, deepening his hands-on research experience. To learn more about Baback’s research at NYU, visit https://www.mostafavilab.org/people.
One of the main proponents for Ghalamsiah’s decision to accelerate his high school expereince was Ghalamsiah’s ambition and desire to fulfill his academic potential. Despite being enrolled in every advanced class offered, he wanted to continue to be challenged. “I believe one of the best ways for someone to grow is to push themselves,”Ghalamsiah explained. “It is the faster pace that can make classes more demanding. So, I applied that philosophy to my high school career by accelerating it.” Ghalamsiah gratefully makes mentions of his parents, Dr. Sforza, guidance counselor, Ms. Rashid, Ms. Calasso and Ms. Wilson, explaining that without their guidance and support his accelerated academic success would not have been possible.
Ghalamsiah insightfully reflects on his decision and confidently says he would not do anything differently in his high school career. He explains, “I achieved what I wanted, to the point I exceeded our AP max in 3 years.” In this process, Ghalamsiah also took AP Computer Science Principles without prerequisite and AP Language and Composition– paving the way for other Becton students as both courses have been added to the curriculum this year without prerequisite.
Looking ahead, he plans to continue his education and academic journey with his sights set on going to college to focus on biology and public policy. Ultimately, Ghalamsiah left an indelible mark on the Becton community, inspiring both peers and faculty with his dedication and passion. He truly has set the tone for future students and paved the way for a culture of excellence and collaboration!
