Welcome to ARISTA.

ARISTA is Stuyvesant High School’s premier honor society. We strive to become positive role models as we proudly serve our communities by upholding our four pillars of character, leadership, scholarship, and service. Not only are our handpicked members—some of the most diligent and morally upright students within Stuyvesant—the backbone of the academic support system within Stuyvesant, but we are also a coveted volunteer force that positively permeates the greater New York City community.

Despite the sometimes overwhelming amount of obligations and commitments our members have, we, high school students, are perhaps one of the most reliable volunteer groups in the country—not because we have more time than anyone else, but because we make time for the causes we care about.

We are excited to see our momentum carry on to future permutations of ARISTA; despite a different makeup of members and different leadership, our values as a society persist across time, with each year expanding on ARISTA’s mission and allowing it to create even more positive change within our school and the world.

“I have learned, over time, to enjoy helping others and to gain a sense of pride and fulfillment from it, and I hope that you learn to develop this muscle over the coming years. Our responsibilities can often feel onerous, burdensome, and tiresome. We may not want to do them, and there are other things we could be doing with our time, and so on. But that moment when we help someone out—when we know we’ve made someone else's day just a little easier—that's a beautiful feeling. With every act of service you perform, I hope you take a moment afterwards to reflect, briefly, on how good it feels to help someone else.”
-Eric Ferencz, Faculty Advisor

Here are the pillars we strive to uphold:

Character

"Character encompasses a person's inner qualities, principles, and the way they interact with others and the world around them. Because ARISTA members strive to be role models, the Stuyvesant—as well as the New York City—community trusts them."
-Lenny Metlitsky ‘25

Leadership

ARISTA members are leaders of their communities, whether within Stuyvesant, their neighborhood, or among family and friends. Each ARISTA member has demonstrated the ability to plan and to execute. More than just the ability to lead a group of people, to be a leader is to be a listener. Leaders are empathetic and caring, and as our members enter communities both within and outside Stuyvesant, they treat everyone they meet with respect.
-Ayla Irshad ‘25

Scholarship

Our members here at ARISTA excel academically, constantly pushing themselves. But scholarship goes beyond simply academic achievement: at its core, it is about the love of learning—the desire to explore the world around us, to ask questions, to challenge assumptions. So many around the world lack the educational opportunities that are available to us here at Stuyvesant. Our members optimize the opportunities they receive and seek knowledge both in academic settings and beyond, while recognizing that many do not have access to this privilege. It is our hope that our students harness their knowledge to create meaningful change, as knowledge is a powerful tool for transformation, and we hope that they take this love of learning and this perpetual pursuit of excellence along with them even after they leave Stuyvesant and embark on their journeys in college and beyond.
-Tamiyyah Shafiq ‘25

Service

Service is about giving back to the communities that support us. It embodies the spirit of selflessness and the drive to make a positive difference. Our members embrace this pillar and engage in meaningful ways, both in Stuyvesant and the greater New York City community. By committing to service, we not only uplift those around us but also grow as individuals, cultivating the values of kindness and collaboration that will guide us throughout our lives.
-Alexa Chiang ‘25