Johnston High Top 10 Students: #6 Derek Papa

Ranked sixth in the Johnston High School Class of 2021, Derek Papa, of Betsy Williams Circle, plans to attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in the fall.

He plans to study Interactive Media Design.

During his years at the school, Papa was a member of many organizations and participated in a long list of school activities.

He served as Vice President of the Above the Influence organization, Yearbook Editor and Peer Tutor.

Papa participated in the Academic Decathlon, Mock Trial and the Float Committee.

Papa said he would most remember “the many hours of hard work that finally culminated in a high rank and moving onto a college in order to pursue my passions,” from his time at Johnston High.

Many people helped Papa along the way.

“A few specific faculty members come to mind,” he said. “Mrs. Chiulli deserves credit for almost every success in Johnston High School. She is the kindest and most supportive person you could find within the halls of JHS.”

Several faculty members made a big impression on Papa.

“Mrs. Avila was the one who watched many of the Top Ten grow as students, and as people,” Papa said. “Without her, our high school experience would have been severely lacking, whether it’s because we wouldn’t have someone to vent to or to write our letters or to make us feel safe in our Freshman year, she played an instrumental role in our development as people.”

The senior class advisor also played a pivotal role.

“Finally, how could I ignore our class advisor Mr. DiMaio?” Papa asked. “Both having him as a teacher, where many life lessons were learned and ideas challenged, and as an advisor, meaning many important events are at least partially credited to his hard work, he played a very large part in the success of our class.”

Papa credited one particular motivation in contributing to his success.

“The future,” he said. “Simply put, I knew that if I didn’t excel, then I might fail and failure meant being and doing something that didn’t seem like the right path for me.”