BY VINAYA SAKSENA

CENTRAL FALLS — The resumes of Central Falls High School’s valedictorian and salutatorian reveal an unexpected trait that both share: they are both fluent in Polish.

Valedictorian Justyna Szulc and Salutatorian Thomas Cybowicz both share family connections to Poland, but their lives have followed noticeably different paths on the road to graduation from Central Falls High School.
However, the success they now share as top-ranked students in their graduating class came via another trait that they apparently share: a strong work ethic.
“I was always pretty much on top of everything,” Cybowicz said when asked about being name salutatorian. “I was somewhat shocked, but I was pleasantly surprised.”
Cybowicz, the son of Polish immigrants, was born in Providence and is a lifelong Central Falls resident. Szulc, on the other hand, was born in Poland, and moved to the United States with her parents in 1998, settling near Pawtucket, where her grandparents had moved earlier.
And while she does not remember everything about what life in Poland was like, she said the difference between here and there was noticeable.
“Here’s it’s a lot more diverse,” Szulc said. “In Poland, it was all the same type of people.”
In the ethnically diverse surroundings of Central Falls, the two students have each developed a unique set of talents and interests. Szulc plans to attend Brown University, studying international affairs, while Cybowicz will attend the University of Rhode Island and plans to major in electrical engineering.
Cybowicz said his choice stemmed largely from an internship he underwent at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport. He said he would consider doing this type of work in either a military or non-military setting, as long as the atmosphere was not too formal.
“It was very serious minded, but kind of casual,” he said of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center experience that piqued his interest. “Everyone went along with their work. But it wasn’t the whole suit and tie kind of thing.”
Szulc said she was interested in international banking as a career, though she had not made a final decision as to exactly what type of work she would go into. Whatever she did, however, would be informed by her previous experiences living in two different countries, and, she said, would hopefully include some more international travel. She mentioned in particular that she wanted to see Greece and Italy.
“I’ve seen how different the customs are” between countries,” Szulc said. “It made me want to travel and see how different sections of the world are.”
Both students said they had positive memories of their years at Central Falls High School, which would remain with them. However, what stood out in their minds as they prepared to graduate was different for each of them, with Cybowicz remembering the time he painted his whole body for a pep rally last year.
“I like to be the center of attention,” he said. “And I didn’t think there were going to be too many people with painted bodies.”
Szulc, meanwhile, said what she got out of Central Falls High School was more a product of being part of a group, rather than standing out from it. Having found the right individuals with which to create that group, she said, would likely have lasting value for her.
“The one thing that stands out in my mind would be my friends, the people I met there,” she said. “They are friends that I am going to have with me for a long time.”