Senior Alexandra Ottas
is Ready to Roll
She's had one of the more unique experiences of any Huntington High School senior and now Alexandra Ottas is ready to roll. It's not that she dislikes any particular "thing" about her daily life; it's just time to move on.
"I honestly feel I have been ready to leave high school for a long time and never liked being a part of school functions and such," Ms. Ottas said. "In general, I just feel older than I actually am. I absolutely loved having senior privileges this year! I'm so happy our school has this. Being able to sleep in late and leave early everyday was a perfect schedule to me!"
The teenager was recently honored as one of the Class of 2011's Distinguished Seniors after compiling an enviable academic record. "Science has always been my No. 1 favorite academic class and I've been lucky to have some of the best science teachers, with Mr. [Craig] McKee being my favorite," Ms. Ottas said.
Mr. McKee and the senior work closely together as part of YEA HHS, the acronym for the Young Environmental Advocates of Huntington High School. Mr. McKee is the group's faculty advisor and Ms. Ottas is its treasurer.
She has a "thing" for Spanish, too. Ms. Ottas said that over the years, her Spanish teachers have been outstanding, including Mercy Peña this year. "It is a goal of mine to become fluent in Spanish," the senior said. "I plan to continue it through college and possibly study abroad in Spain."
Ms. Ottas is a fine student and her classmates believe she is "going places." "It has been so important and so beneficial having amazing teachers in the areas I am most interested in because it makes me go that extra mile and want to learn more and show how dedicated I am to the subject."
The teenager has played on the Blue Devil tennis team throughout high school and earned three varsity letters in the sport. "This year I was the captain of the team and loved everyone on it, it was my favorite group of girls," Ms. Ottas.
The senior said the Blue Devil marching band "consumed" most of her freshman, sophomore and junior years. "I loved playing my favorite percussion instrument, the Timpani," Ms. Ottas said, but she decided against participating as a senior.
The teenager isn't afraid of work. Ms. Ottas currently has two jobs, including waitressing at a local Italian restaurant, La Piazzetta and working at Huntington Indoor Tennis. She recently left a third job.
"I've also managed to keep a boyfriend off-and-on through all of high school and he is my best friend," Ms. Ottas said about Kevin Venturino. "Diana Frank, Shayne Larkin and Natasha Stollmack are my three 'true blue' friends and although we go without seeing each other for long periods of time, we still are the same close friends when we finally all reunite."
"I love Alex," Ms. Larkin said. "She's right; we have the best kind of friendship where we can pick up on any page. We've both got busy schedules and have gone weeks without exchanging more than a hello, but when we're reunited it's like we were chillin' the day before! We've changed a whole lot since the day we've met, but we've always been able to relate to each other and have fun together. She's one of the most entertaining people I know. One of my favorite things about Alex has always been her authenticity. That girl wears her heart on her sleeve."
Ms. Ottas is certainly one of the more unique members of the Class of 2011. She left Huntington in the middle of her sophomore year, moving with her family to Vermont for five months. She went willingly and even encouraged the move.
"At that time in 10th grade, I wasn't happy with my friends, surroundings or lifestyle," Ms. Ottas said. "When the idea was presented to me in August, I thought 'Why not start over and see a completely different lifestyle? Who else gets this kind of chance? I don't know how many other 15 year old students voluntarily move to a different state. The move was in January and as a family we decided to move back to Long Island in June. I was on the tennis team there, too. It was an awesome experience."
A very special private trip during spring break with more than three-dozen fellow Huntington High School students proved memorable. "This year I was beyond lucky to have the opportunity to travel to Greece," Ms. Ottas said. "It is my nationality so I was so excited to see my culture and came home being everything but disappointed. It surpassed my expectations and is even more beautiful then I could ever describe. It was absolutely breathtaking and I plan to visit again in the future."
Ms. Ottas had been planning on attending a local community college, but then an acceptance letter arrived from SUNY College at New Paltz. "I thought I wasn't ready to actually leave the Island, yet but as soon as I saw the acceptance I wanted nothing more than to attend this college. It reminds me so much of Vermont. Nature and animals are my two favorite things."
As her thoughts turn to the future, the senior is preparing for the next stage in her life. "I plan on majoring in biology and focusing in zoology," Ms. Ottas said. "I don't mean to sound like a hippie-nature-lover, but I feel better surrounded by nature instead of buildings and people because it makes me step outside myself and the weight of any stress, to notice the bigger picture. It's so pure and beautiful and I can never get enough of it. I don't think anyone will understand how much I love animals."