Two Seniors Earn PTSA Scholarships
The Huntington High School Parent-Teacher-Student Association culminated another sensational year by awarding scholarships to graduating seniors Shail Patel and Kari Peer.
PTSA Vice President Melissa Ryan spoke eloquently about the two teenagers, commending their academic improvement and achievements as well as their participation in co-curricular activities and community service. Mr. Patel and Ms. Peer each received $750 scholarship awards.
Mr. Patel is headed to the City University of New York's York College to study computer science. Located in Jamaica, Queens, York is one of CUNY's 11 senior colleges. It boasts an enrollment of nearly 8,000, with students from 50 countries and who speak more than three dozen languages.
Mr. Patel looked sharp at the awards ceremony, in a smartly pressed blue shirt and dark blue tie. During his years at Huntington High School, he was active at the YMCA and as a volunteer at the Huntington Public Library. The teenager learned English as a second language. "He has grown as a scholar and leader in the classroom," Mrs. Ryan said.
Ms. Peer, who is undecided on an academic major, will attend the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in the fall. The school is the flagship campus of the UMass system. It has an undergraduate enrollment of 21,400 along with 6,200 graduate students.
Over the course of her high school years, Ms. Peer, who wore a colorful print dress to the awards ceremony, played varsity field hockey, assisted at the Special Olympics, helped raise money to eradicate breast cancer and diabetes, volunteered with Meals on Wheels, participated in the Walk 4Love to benefit pediatric cancer research and was a member of Huntington's Key Club and Habitat for Humanity chapter. She also captained a Relay For Life team that raised more than $3,200.
When the names of the two scholarship recipients were announced to the crowd at Huntington's senior academic awards night, Mr. Patel was clearly pleased while Ms. Peer displayed a look of amazement.
"I was beyond shocked when my name was called for this award," Ms. Peer said. "I had a hard time transitioning into high school. My first two years, I struggled with my grades. Once I was a junior, I knew I had to get my act together and from then on I was committed to my studies. Getting into a good college was important to both me and my parents. After receiving this award I felt like my efforts and change in attitude had been recognized. I was more than thrilled to find out I had won this award."
During the scholarship presentation Mrs. Ryan complimented Ms. Peer for her stellar academic effort as an upperclassman. "Kari is a fantastic young woman," said Bernadette Walsh, Huntington's college counselor. "Her interests are varied, but she always puts that extra effort into everything she does. She is a winner."