No Complaints from Huntington Senior Tom Curley
It’s always satisfying to look back over the years and have no real regrets or complaints. Tom Curley knows this feeling. The Huntington High School senior will graduate later this month and then head off to the University of Pittsburgh on a full academic scholarship to study molecular biology.
“I chose University of Pittsburgh because they have an outstanding science program and an amazing atmosphere for a college,” Mr. Curley said. A clean-cut, personable young man, the teenager has been involved in the high school athletic and club programs and has blended in perfectly with his classmates.
His favorite high school teachers have been science department faculty members Ed Florea and Deborah Beck “because they showed me how interesting science was and inspired me to study molecular biology in college,” he said.
Many of Mr. Curley’s most memorable experiences involve playing high school soccer. “Soccer is one of my favorite things to do in the world,” he said. “I play defense and I played for the varsity soccer team and for my travel team, the Syosset SC Scorpions. I have played on Syosset for five years and I have been captain of that team for four years. We have been in Division 1 for four years and I am very proud of that.”
Known for his punctuality and preparation, Mr. Curley compiled a very impressive academic record, placing him among the top students in Huntington’s Class of 2009. Before choosing Pitt, he carefully considered UCLA. But, while he qualifies as an academic powerhouse, his love for sports shouldn’t be underestimated.
“I think my favorite accomplishment was making the Long Island Olympic Developmental Program (ODP) for soccer when I was a sophomore,” Mr. Curley said. “Playing with some of the best soccer players on Long Island taught me to constantly push myself and always work harder than the person next to me.”
“Tom is one of the most dedicated and inspirational players I have ever been associated with,” said John Pagano, head coach of the Blue Devil soccer team and an English teacher at the high school. “In addition to being a Suffolk County Academic Award winner, he recovered from a major knee injury to anchor our defense this year. His dedication and work ethic were exemplary. We will miss him.”
His return from an anterior cruciate ligament tear and the resulting surgery to repair it during the fall of his junior year is one of Mr. Curley’s proudest achievements. “Since then I have worked incredibly hard by doing intense physical therapy sessions and running on the track and running up and down bleachers in order to get back into shape for soccer,” he said.
“Soccer means so much to me that I would never even consider quitting, even with ACL surgery,” he said. “I plan to work even harder this summer in order to reach my goal of walking onto the varsity soccer team at Pittsburgh. If I don’t make the team, I will play club soccer, but I will try out for the varsity team every year. That is a promise.”
Mr. Curley knows he is not an island and has advanced this far with the help of others. “I owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to my varsity coaches, John Pagano and Jason Suarez, and to my travel coach, Matt McElwee for sharing my love and intensity for soccer and developing me into a good player,” he said.
Prior to injuring his knee, Mr. Curley participated on the varsity swimming and track teams, too. In the latter sport he crossed paths with then coach Dennis Walker, “who I believe is another phenomenal coach,” he said. “I really would have liked to continue varsity swimming and varsity track my junior and senior years but I didn’t due to my ACL surgery and rehabilitation.”
Somehow the senior also found time to be a member of the National Honor Society, National Math Honor Society, Key club and volunteer in Olympic Development Program youth soccer clinics.
“I consider myself an active person and at Huntington High School, I like to believe I took advantage of the tremendous amount of opportunities that Huntington offered,” Mr. Curley said. Considering the senior has earned an academic scholarship and might not be through with his athletic career just yet, those opportunities seem to have served him quite well.
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