Riverhead Student Advances to Final Round in National Competition

A Riverhead student learned last week that she had advanced to become a national finalist in the Wendy's Heisman Award competition.

Riverhead High School senior Carolyn Carrera was chosen to make it to the next round after 102 state finalists were narrowed down to 12 male and 12 female scholars and athletes from across the United States; Carolyn was the New York State female winner.

The winners will be announced on Dec. 13. 

The national finalists will not only be featured on ESPN, but they will also receive gold medals and $2000 for their high schools.

The two winners, one male and one female, will receive a Wendy's High School Heisman crystal trophy and a $500 gift certificate to Wendy's. The high school of each national winner will receive a donation of $10,000. 

Carolyn will travel to New York City to participate in the collegiate Heisman weekend festivities with the other finalists and also receive her award in person from Archie Griffin, the only athlete to ever win two collegiate Heisman trophies.

The Wendy's High School Heisman television special will air on ESPN2 on Dec. 15. 

Carolyn was told earlier in November that she has been named New York's female winner of the 2013 Wendy's High School Heisman Award.

Winners are chosen based on excellence in athletics, academics and community leadership; Carolyn was chosen from a pool of 48,000..

Carolyn, who is involved with three sports, is varsity goalie on the soccer team, a guard on the basketball team, and an All-Division midi on the lacrosse team. She has received a scholarship to play both lacrosse and soccer at Hofstra University in the fall of 2014, where she plans to major in either engineering or pre-med.

Also an outstanding scholar, Carolyn carries a 98.75 unweighted average, received a 2040 on the SATs, and is ranked third in her class of 362 students. She is an honor roll student, a member of the National Honor Society, the Latin Honor Society, Mentathletes and Math Club.

President of the Class of 2014, Carolyn has been actively engaged in both student government and in raising funds to help a former classmate and friend, Michael Hubbard, return to the Riverhead area after a gel candle accident in which he was badly injured. Michael and his mother, Nancy Reyer, presented Carolyn with a bouquet of flowers at last week's ceremony.

On top of all her academic and athletic achievements, Carolyn has two jobs, working at the Riverhead Recreation Department and at Michelangelo's Pizza. She is also active in her church and is an accomplished pianist and percussionist.

She plans to attend Hofstra University, play both lacrosse and soccer for them, and major in engineering or pre-med.