H-ton Senior Giulia Gourgue Accepts St. Leo Scholarship
Since moving to Long Island as a sophomore, Giulia Gourgue has made every day count. The Huntington High School senior has accepted a scholarship and will attend St. Leo University in Florida.
Ms. Gourgue moved here from Fort Myers, Florida and immediately settled into the life and rhythm of the high school. She earned letters on the varsity volleyball and fencing teams and traveled with classmates to Costa Rica on a private trip organized through EF Tours.
When it came time to choose where she would spend the next four years of her life, Ms. Gourgue decided she wanted to head back down south for college.
“I knew I wanted to go back to Florida, but I was stuck between University of Tampa and Saint Leo,” Ms. Gourgue said. Both schools offered her academic scholarships. She engaged in numerous conversations with her guidance counselor, discussing what each college had to offer before coming to see that St. Leo was clearly the place for her.
An honor roll student, Ms. Gourgue developed productive relationships with numerous faculty members, including math teacher Michael Graziano and social studies teacher Fred Bisogno.
“Mr. Graziano and Mr. Bisogno definitely made high school more enjoyable,” the teenager said. “I met Graz when I first moved here tenth grade and he helped me and just gave me advice and I was able to talk to him about anything. With Mr. Bisogno, we joke so much. He doesn’t know that he’s the reason that I loved history that I’m majoring in it. I plan to go to law school with my bachelor’s degree and become a civil rights attorney.”
“Giulia is a wonderful young woman who is extremely responsible and caring,” Mr. Graziano said. “Giulia has always been determined to take on any challenge, regardless of its depth. I am so proud of her both academically and personally.”
Ms. Gourgue has a nice way about her, according to classmates and teachers. “Giulia is such an energetic and wonderful student and intern,” Mr. Bisogno said. “From the time Giulia entered my class, I knew she was something special. She has come such a long way and is an incredibly hard worker. I look forward to seeing Giulia continue her success in the years to come. St. Leo is going to be very lucky to have her as a student. She truly has all of the ‘right stuff’ to be as successful as she wants to be.”
Ms. Gourgue plans get involved in St. Leo’s student government along with the Phi Alpha Theta sorority for history majors.
“Giulia is an amazing young women,” said teacher Camille Tedeschi, who led the trip to Costa Rica. “In the short time we spent together traveling in Costa Rica, I feel like I have known her for years. She is independent, smart, kind, generous and open minded. She traveled to Costa Rica not knowing many of the kids on the tour and she left with 40 new friends because she was open to meeting new people and welcoming of new experiences. She shared with me that she would never have done many of the activities she did in Costa Rica if it was not for the trip. Giulia was attentive while on tour and was always smiling and laughing. Every chaperone and traveler adored her.”
The teenager intends to spend the summer “hanging out with my friends, attending concerts and going to visit family in Canada before I leave on August 18,” she said.
Ms. Gourgue advises incoming Huntington freshmen to “enjoy high school and get involved. It goes by extremely fast. You’ll miss it.”