Class of 2015 Irvington High’s Kiana Lee Sets Her Sights on the Future

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Kiana Lee is heading to the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

June 4, 2015

| by Sue Guzman | There’s no slowing track and field superstar Kiana Lee who will soon be bidding farewell to Irvington High School.

Over the past four years, Lee cemented herself in the record books for both Irvington High as well as Westchester County. According to school officials, she holds 10 school records and recently won the Section 1 State Qualifier in the 300-meter race with a time of 39.31, the fifth fastest all-time record in Westchester County and sixth fastest time in Section 1 history. In addition, Lee won a silver medal at the New York State Public High School State indoor Track and Field Championships and a bronze at the New York State Federation Championship in 2015.

Her stellar accomplishments earned her a scholarship for Track and Field at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, which she will be attending in the fall, after signing a letter of intent in April.

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Lee credited her family with her many successes. “My family is the best support system anyone could ask for,” said Lee. “In addition to my immediate family, my grandparents and uncle have been so supportive of everything I do. They keep encouraging me to move forward and never have fear about anything and to know that I can do anything I set my mind to.”

In addition to her achievements on the field, Lee will graduate on the high honor roll, maintaining a 3.8 GPA. She will also leave behind her position as senior class president, which she credits with increasing her awareness of other students’ issues and teaching her key negotiating skills as she worked as a liaison between students and the administration.

Lee also looked back fondly on her time served with the school’s peer leadership mentoring program. “From four years ago, the challenges that we faced are a lot different from what students are facing now,” she noted. “It was great to be able to offer younger students advice. They would just come to us with the questions that they were not comfortable asking their parents or teachers, and confide in us,” Lee said.

At the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Lee plans to major in pre-veterinary medicine with the hope of becoming a veterinarian. “A lot of people ask me why I love animals. It’s really about the advocacy. I grew up watching Animal Planet and Animal Cops and saw how they really can’t communicate for themselves. That’s really the role that I wish to play,” said Lee.

Lee said she’s looking forward to her next four years and beyond, and will miss Irvington High School.

“I would say that Irvington High School has been a really good life-changing experience,” she said. “Anyone can say that about high school, but at Irvington, the intimacy and the care that you get from the community has been overwhelming, supportive and sincere. It taught me to be a role model and give back to others.”

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