Meet Oneida City School District’s Class of 2026 Salutatorian, Dylan!

 

When Dylan isn’t diving into academics, he enjoys spending his free time playing chess online and practicing guitar — a hobby he picked up a few years ago. He also loves reading and is an admirer of classical literature. An enthusiastic birder (birdwatcher), Dylan has traveled around New York State in search of species that are new to him. “I'll certainly bring my pair of binoculars to college and am eager to discover what birds await there.”

 

Dylan credits his mother as one of the key inspirations in his life. “I admire her ability to apply creativity to the things she is passionate about and to be persistently herself.”

 

Balancing academics, challenging coursework, extracurricular activities, and a personal life can be difficult, but Dylan says he enjoys staying busy. Throughout high school, he developed strong study and organizational habits that helped him stay on top of his workload. Reflecting on his academic experience, Dylan shared, “I am fortunate to have taken nine AP courses, which have been influential in discovering my interests and preparing me for higher education. I value the group projects I have been a part of during high school for allowing me to learn how to contribute to a collaborative environment.”

 

Among the many memorable experiences he has had at Oneida High School, one challenge stands out in particular. For his AP Computer Science final project, Dylan dedicated significant effort to creating a player-versus-computer Battleship game. Going beyond the course curriculum, he taught himself how to code simple graphics in Java and worked through numerous obstacles along the way. Dylan says he is proud of the final product, which features four different computer difficulty levels that he and his friends have enjoyed winning — and occasionally losing — against.

 

Dylan also reflected on the unique challenges that came with the beginning of his senior year, when students attended half days at the middle school building due to flooding at the high school. He said the split-day schedule “was a challenge to my psyche,” but he adjusted his work ethic to maintain his academic standards during a time that required more independent responsibility over the school experience. Returning to the high school building in January became one of the highlights of his senior year. “I'm very grateful that I am able to finish my senior year with memories created in the high school building.”

 

Outside the classroom, Dylan has contributed significantly to both his school and community. His involvement includes:

 

Vice President of the National Honor Society

Four years with the Oneida Marching Band

Three years on Boys Varsity Tennis

Three years as part of the Spring Musical Stage Crew

Member of the Oneida Mathletics Team

Three years competing in the Science Olympiad

Two years on Oneida’s Envirothon Team

 

Dylan says the biggest lesson he learned throughout high school is this: “Perfection is not always necessary.”

 

To underclassmen, he offers this advice: “Asking questions is a good habit to have. Whether it be in school or everyday life, asking ‘why?' and hunting for answers pushes your mind towards growth. Live curiously!”

 

Following graduation, Dylan will attend Hamilton College, where he plans to study Environmental Biology. In the next five to ten years, he hopes to enter the field of ecology, potentially through research or field work, with the goal of contributing to the preservation and benefit of natural environments throughout upstate New York.