Taivon LaPalmer Lays Groundwork
for Career
Taivon LaPalmer has so many good memories from all the different buildings she has passed through over the past 13 years in the Huntington School District that it’s hard to keep track of them all. As she approaches graduation with fellow members of the Class of 2014, the teenager is genuinely excited about her future.
This has been a busy year for the senior. Ms. LaPalmer has crammed as much into it as she could. Her schedule at Huntington High School has included Advanced Placement Literature and Composition, Pre-Calculus, Fashion Illustration 3, Economics, Participation in Government and chamber choir. She’s also engaged in a career internship with the high school’s beginner fashion design students.
“Transferring from Woodhull to Huntington Intermediate for sixth grade has been the turning point of my school career,” Ms. LaPalmer said. “When I made this change, I gained confidence, discovered my interest is fashion design and made a ton of lifelong friends. That school is where I participated in the School of Rock, a club run by Mr. [Paul] Esposito. I wish the high school offered a rock group in addition to the other music ensembles. We can always use more.”
The teenager has encountered many teachers and teacher aides that she forged strong relationships with over the years. Some of her favorites that she would like to thank include:
• 3rd grade at Southdown School: Christine DePetris and Carol Salerno – “Third grade times tables were a challenge,” Ms. LaPalmer said.
• 4th and 5th grade at Woodhull School: Susan Danzig and Colleen Fasciano – “They saw how mature I was at such a young age and honored that,” the senior said.
• 6th grade at Huntington Intermediate School: Joanne Holsclaw – “She motivated me to pursue fashion design,” the teenager said.
• 7th grade at J. Taylor Finley Middle School: Josephine Rosado – “Because of her, I went on to be in the concert and chamber choirs in high school and didn’t give up singing,” Ms. LaPalmer said.
• 8th grade: J. Taylor Finley Middle School: Jennifer DiMattei – “I want to personally thank her for introducing my eighth grade class to the Hunger Games trilogy,” the senior said. “It was the best year ever. Since then I went on to read more dystopian society books and love the movie franchise.”
Special time in Ms. LaPalmer’s life
The past four years have been a special time in Ms. LaPalmer’s life as she developed many friendships and enjoyed working with an entirely new group of faculty members.
“For the high school, there are so many teachers that deserve recognition,” Ms. LaPalmer said. “I want to thank close to 30, but I don’t have the room in an article. I really do want to honor Mrs. [Veronica] Mainville for being an incredible chorus teacher. I’ll take chorus in college, but I know that it simply won’t be the same without the Eric Whitacre pieces and musical medleys. I hope I can still be challenged.”
Ms. LaPalmer also cites English teacher John Pagano as one of her favorites “for encouraging his classes to write and fully develop our writing skills. English 11 Honors was my favorite English class because of all the creative writing that I got to do.”
Art teacher Amy Worth has been Ms. LaPalmer’s fashion mentor. “She is the teacher most in-line with my career choice, which is fashion design,” the senior said. “I love her like a mother and I know how much she’s been through. I know she is the strongest person I’ve met in the building in four years. I can’t picture myself going off to college while she’s still here. I get teary eyed thinking about it.”
A talented fashion designer, Ms. LaPalmer collaborated with junior Mary Pulizzotto to create a synthetic rose dress that was displayed at the district’s annual art show last month.
The senior likes to stay busy. Ms. LaPalmer will once again be working in the Huntington Arts Council’s summer enrichment program as a counselor.
“I applied to Binghamton University, Sacred Heart University, SUNY Oneonta and the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising - LIM College,” Ms. LaPalmer said. The teenager is headed to LIM College, where she plans to study either business management or international business.
Senior loves languages
“I love languages,” Ms. LaPalmer said. “I took Spanish for five years, and I study Korean on the weekends privately. Starting this fall, I will pursue French and other languages in the near future. My goal is to be multi-lingual, which is a vital tool to succeed in the industry.”
Ms. LaPalmer’s reasons for studying Korean for the past three years are interesting. “South Korea has close relations with the U.S. and I want to build a strong cultural bridge from here to Asia in terms of music and fashion,” the senior said. “I want to have my own fashion line, but want to study business first at the only school in the nation that is business all-around and directly involved in the fashion industry. LIM College is the perfect place for that.”
At LIM, Ms. LaPalmer plans to study business and event planning and join the fashion show production club, styling club, writers circle and the magazine club. “I’m going to take up dance lessons and photography this fall as well,” she said. “I’ve always had a passion for the two.”
She is already considering taking classes during summer breaks at Parsons for design or at Fashion Institute of Technology for pattern-making. But, for now, Ms. LaPalmer’s plan is to be knowledgeable of the business end of the industry.
Summer internship as blogger
Ms. LaPalmer has landed a summer internship that will involve her doing fashion blogging for CollegeFashionista.com. “I’m going to cover the ‘what to wear’ fashion trends on New York City college students all summer long,” she said.
Earlier in the spring, Ms. LaPalmer was honored as one of Huntington High School’s “distinguished seniors” in recognition of her outstanding academic record.
The teenager is vice president of the high school’s Gay/Straight Alliance. She’s a member of the National Honor Society and the debate club, an honorary assistant of United Amigos and a Natural Helper. She sings with Huntington’s a capella choir.
Ms. LaPalmer always seems to be engaged in some type of community service project. “I do homework help for the Tri-CYA and tutored at the Huntington Station branch of the public library last spring,” she said. The teenager even helped clean up Crab Meadow Beach with the Young Leaders club.
The senior enjoys staying after school and helping bilingual Living Environment teacher Rosario Lorenzano. “I wish I could have known her for more than a year,” Ms. LaPalmer said. “She works exceeding well with the ESL students.”
Ms. LaPalmer participated in last weekend’s Relay For Life American Cancer Society fundraiser with her friends. She has a big heart, that’s for sure.
“The advice I would give to incoming freshmen is not to be afraid to mess up or to make sacrifices and to stay focused,” Ms. LaPalmer said. “High school is definitely a struggle and you are going to do things that you’ll hate. I know that it will seem easier to give up, but you’ll always be grateful that you pushed through. Make sure you have a lot of good times and try to enjoy the little things you do with friends because years from now you don’t want to regret missing out. Treat everyone nicely and leave things better than how you found them.”
Ms. LaPalmer has learned a lot over the past four years, including some practical lessons that she is willing to share with next year’s ninth grade class. “It’s great to be competitive and work hard,” she said. “You don’t need to fit in if you’re happy being different. Find something you love to do and do it well because others will respect that. Laugh a lot and laugh all the time because you’ll smile more! Lastly, try your hardest to stay positive and include others who are left out whenever and wherever you get the chance.”