WESTFIELD – Inna Anipko of Westfield Technical Academy received the school’s Outstanding Vocational Technical Student of the year award from the Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators and Massachusetts Vocational Association. The awards were presented at a dinner at Mechanic’s Hall in Worcester this past April.
Anipko, a senior in Business Technology, is the number one-ranked student in her class of 100, and will be speaking as the class valedictorian at graduation on June 1.
Inna Anipko
“I didn’t know about it (the nomination). I found out a month ago,” Anipko said. “It was awesome, a wonderful experience. It was interesting to hear all the speakers, and all the other nominees. I was touched to receive such an honor. It was a big deal,” she added. She said 53 other school award winners from throughout the state were at the dinner.
In nominating Anipko, Peter Taloumis, career technical education director at the school, referred to her rigorous course of study in advanced placement classes, and her participation in Westfield State University’s dual enrollment program, where she took a 3-credit course in psychology. In addition, she is participating in the school’s co-operating learning program at Aerofastener of Westfield.
Anipko is president of the Westfield Chapter National Technical Honor Society and a two year member. She is also president of the Westfield Technical Academy’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Chapter. She competed in FBLA and won first place in Accounting I, Second place in Accounting 2, fourth place in Business Communications, and represented WTA by speaking at the State Leadership Conference.
Anipko, the daughter of Daniel and Olga Anipko, resides in Westfield. She is actively involved in her church, where she teaches Sunday school, is a member of the youth group, and plays violin with the church string orchestra.
Following graduation, she plans to attend Holyoke Community College in the fall, where she will study business administration, accounting, financing, micro-economics and macro-economics, “to help me decide exactly what I want to do,” she said, adding that she is then thinking of transferring to a business school.
“It’s been a great experience,” Anipko said about her years at Westfield Tech. She spoke about the great faculty, and the experience of being in the FLBA Honor Society. What she will miss, she said, is “having all of those opportunities.”
