Huntington Senior Anna Brosoff Plans for College
Anna Brosoff’s plans for the future are still developing, but are increasingly coming into focus as the Huntington High School senior evaluates her options and nears a final decision.
“I am deciding between the University of South Carolina, University of Miami, Clemson University and the University of Surrey in England,” Ms. Brosoff said. The senior wants to study business and pursue a career related to her “love for math,” she said.
The teenager is one of the leading members of Huntington’s Class of 2016 and she has earned the respect of faculty members across every academic discipline.
“I found my love for math in the beginning of eighth grade when I took a high school level algebra course,” Ms. Brosoff said. “It was a class that always made sense to me, for every question there was an exact answer. When I was looking for my chosen career path, business caught my attention. My teachers, friends and family all have guided me into a passion for calculated learning and influenced my career choice.”
Ms. Brosoff hopes to become involved with club gymnastics or dance during college. “I used to do gymnastics for 11 years and I danced as a Highstepper for four years here at Huntington,” the senior said. “These sports have really shaped my life a lot and I would love to continue to be part of a close team, just like the Highsteppers.”
The teenager has developed an especially tight bond with high school teachers Nicole Cooper and Lori Kenny. “Both were my science research teachers and Ms. Cooper was also my AP Environmental Science teacher,” Ms. Brosoff said. “They both taught me skills in science research that will forever help me in the real world. I can always look to them for help and I will always appreciate what they have done for me.”
Ms. Brosoff has enjoyed a well balanced life over the past four years. “When I look back at my time in Huntington High School, I love to think of all the exciting events that took place,” she said. “Homecoming here is amazing and I would do anything to experience it one more time. Additionally, prom was a lot of fun and I got to go twice! I love the dancing.”
The Huntington senior participated in a two-year summer internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “I was able to work on leukemia cancer research and future projects involving how to cure the cancer,” Ms. Brosoff said. “The main focus was on chimeric antigen receptors (CAR). That is an engineered receptor that targets a specific antigen. This redirects the cell function to a chosen antigen and destroys target cell. Over the past 20 years, they have been improving upon the CAR and we use the third generation CAR that has the scFv, transmembrane, and signaling domain. We create several different genes to try to find the receptor that fits.”
Ms. Brosoff found the internship to be a most worthwhile experience. “During the two years I was there, I was responsible for making two gene constructs,” she said. “We created the gene and then used cloning strategies to increase the amount of DNA through bacteria. After finding the cell with the most amount of CAR’s expressed on the surface, we would test it in vitro and in vivo.”
As she prepares to move on with her education and life in a few short months, Ms. Brosoff is keenly aware that the current seniors will be replaced in the building by hundreds of incoming freshmen.
“If a ninth grader asked me the key to having a successful experience at Huntington, I would say to be as friendly as you can and to meet everyone,” Ms. Brosoff said. “It is important to gain all the experience you can while in high school through meeting people and understanding what they have experienced. Also, be active in school events and clubs.”