Jensen is Valedictorian of Huntington’s Class of 2008
Huntington High School has been graduating students for nearly 150 years and throughout that long span of time some real academic powerhouses have been honored as class valedictorians. This year Madeleine Jensen, who is currently engaged in world class study at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, joins that distinguished group.
“Madeleine is a unique young woman who has demonstrated repeatedly throughout her high school career her above average work ethic and intelligence,” said Bernadette Walsh, the high school’s college counselor. “Her stellar transcript is evidence of the hard work and dedication that has driven Madeleine to achieve greatness.”
As a freshman, while taking an accelerated Math A/B class, Ms. Jensen taught herself the Math B coursework, which enabled her to take Pre-Calculus BC as sophomore and AP Calculus BC as a junior. “She is self-motivated beyond most young people her age,” Ms. Walsh added.
Ms. Jensen will give the traditional valedictory address on Friday, June 27 at Huntington’s 147th commencement exercises. The 6 p.m. event will be held in the school’s outdoor athletic stadium. A crowd of more than 2,000 is expected to attend.
Huntington Principal Carmela Leonardi called Ms. Jensen an “exceptional student who excels in all content areas and who demonstrates great talents,” adding the senior is “focused, independent and successful.”
Ms. Jensen is interested in pursuing a career in science, with a particular emphasis on research, biology or biochemistry. With this in mind, she sought out an internship with the Cold Spring Lab’s Partners for the Future program. Students from all 126 Long Island school districts vie against each other annually for a handful of spots to work alongside world renowned scientists and conduct original research.
In Ms. Jensen’s case, she is one of just seven successful intern applicants out of more than 1,200 seeking positions. “Madeleine endured a rigorous interview process with distinguished scientists and professors and was ecstatic when awarded the internship,” Ms. Walsh said. “She is now working a minimum of 10 hours per week with Dr. Senthil Muthuswamy studying cancer initiation using three-dimensional epithelial structures. Throughout her internship, Madeleine is expected to make presentations and work with many leading scientists who are conducting research in the Cold Spring Harbor Hershey Lab’s facilitates.”
While Ms. Jensen has earned admiration for her mastery of Huntington’s most difficult academic courses, she has also built a glittering reputation for her interests outside of class. “What is perhaps less known about Madeleine is that she is graceful, caring and devoted to helping others,” Dr. Leonardi said. “She is the president of Habitat for Humanity and organized the summer trip to New Orleans that this club undertook. She plans to return to New Orleans this spring and aims, some day soon, to build in the town of Huntington.”
A violinist who has performed solo, an officer in school clubs, a member of Huntington’s crew team; Ms. Jensen has enjoyed all that Huntington has to offer, and then some. She has helped make the Class of 2008 a special one, according to faculty members.
“Madeline has contributed much more than the average 17 year old,” Ms. Walsh said. “As the coxswain in the boat and a young lady of the world, Madeleine remains calm under pressure and leads her peers with a gentle, encouraging demeanor.”
On June 27, her classmates, their family members and Huntington’s faculty and district officials will listen to the words of wisdom that Ms. Jensen has earned the right to dispense.
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