The Dynamic Holly Flores
Holly Flores is a dynamic Huntington High School teenager who has derived as much as any one person can from their academic experience in the building. The teenager is one of the top science students in the state, if not the nation, and has found her niche in the school's research program.
The Huntington senior has been accepted into the Stony Brook University WISE (women in science and engineering) honors program. Ms. Flores received a presidential scholarship and intends to pursue pre-med studies.
The scholar has worked closely with science teacher Lori Kenny, who leads Huntington's science research program. "I will miss the research program so much," Ms. Flores said. "I have been in it all four years of high school and it is quite easily the thing I will have the fondest memories of. Mrs. Kenny is like a close friend to me and has inspired and guided me more than anything. I would not be where I am today without her."
The teenager was among an elite group of seven Long Island high school students (including Huntington senior Andrew Ku) to emerge from hundreds of applications and earn a spot in the highly competitive Partners for the Future program at Cold Spring Harbor Labs. The application process included an in-depth interview by a team of scientists.
"I worked in the Muthuswamy Lab under the tutelage of Dr. Mike Feigin," Ms. Flores said. "My project was titled 'A Study of Scribble Expression in TCam2 Seminomas.' It centered on testicular cancer cells and the relation between anomalies in polarity gene expression and the development of cancer."
Ms. Flores left school following seventh period each day and traveled the short distance to Cold Spring Harbor where she would typically conduct 3-4 hours of research at a time. Her CSH project was very different than her other research. "It inspired me to blend techniques in fluorescent imaging and it ultimately added depth to my analysis of the experiments," she said.
Down to Earth Teenager
The down-to-earth teenager has always been among the most academically talented students dating back to elementary school. "I loved participating in enrichment programs such as Quest, Math Olympiad and SEARCH," Ms. Flores said. "They made learning exciting and sparked my interests in reading, math and science. Quest in particular was one of my favorites. My friends have stayed with me since Flower Hill School and I cannot believe how much we've grown together."
The senior is so talented she could probably excel in any academic discipline; in fact, she has. But, she has especially sparkled in science. "I cannot say enough about the research program, it is one of those hidden gems at Huntington High School that I am confident will grow into something huge within the next few years," Ms. Flores said.
As a Huntington freshman, Ms. Flores started off her journey into research with a low level high school project that didn't even get her accepted into science competitions. "I worked hard on improving during the next few years and was accepted to the Garcia MRSEC, a prestigious national engineering camp at Stony Brook University." It was a remarkable opportunity that allowed the teenager to work with renowned professors and interact with other students who share similar passions.
Project Focused on Engineering Bone
Mr. Flores' junior year project, "Dental Pulp Stem Cell Growth Differentiation on Various Polystyrene, Polybutadiene, Poly (4-vinyl pyridine) Copolymer Substrates," focused on engineering bone from teeth stem cells using surface chemical and mechanical influences. It was an exceptional piece of work and she went on to earn semi-finalist honors in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology. The project also placed in the top three in several regional competitions.
The teenager was accepted into the Garcia summer program again last summer. She continued with her research, developing a project titled "A Study of the Extracellular Matrix in Dental Pulp Stem Cell Differentiation with and without Static Magnetic Fields."
"I found this project to be very interesting as it used a magnetic force to quicken the cell cycle and influence protein deposition and ion flux into the cells, which ultimately caused the cells to change into bone while keeping their growing potential," Ms. Flores said. "Basically, a magnetic field will inherently have an electric field and proteins are ions and ions have a charge, so therefore the electric field influences the ions to move into the cells to aid this change in the cells."
The senior's research was highly regarded and she was a finalist in the Siemens Competition held over a three-day period at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. "I was able to meet other finalists and specialists in my field," Ms. Flores said. The teenager presented her project and fielded questions posed by a panel of distinguished judges. Her efforts resulted in a $1,000 award . The project also won first place honors in a variety of regional competitions.
"The CEO of the company StemSave, a company that banks dental stem cells, personally contacted me and my partner congratulating us on our research," Ms. Flores said. "We were invited to visit their research headquarters in Columbia University, as well as present our research to their faculty. After spending the day with them, we were offered positions as interns to continue our research with them. We still keep in contact."
Landed Grants; Developed Website
In addition to conducting research, Mr. Flores has been heavily involved in promoting Huntington's research program. She's penned two grants this year, one for $846 to fund professional poster printing for research presentations and another for $12,496.23 that will go toward building a cell lab in Huntington High School.
The latter grant "quickly became the biggest project I was working on and I have designed a proposal for the development of the lab, as well as a curriculum for the first students to use the lab," Ms. Flores said. "All the materials have been ordered and construction should happen over the summer or the beginning of next year."
The senior has created a website (www.hufsdresearch.org) for the science research program and Ms. Flores has also coordinated the science research symposium. She's even assisted fellow Huntington students as the go about applying to summer research programs.
This summer, the teenager will again be headed back to Stony Brook to continue working with dental stem cells. Her research will be fully sponsored and she is hopeful that it will be published.
In addition to Mrs. Kenny, Ms. Flores has enjoyed working with many other Huntington teachers, too. She's quite well-rounded and also owns a long list of accomplishments in a host of extracurricular activities.
"I have always found [social studies teacher] Mr. [James] Graber's classes to be my favorites," Ms. Flores said. "He is very well spoken and engages the entire class in truly thought-provoking discussions. [Science teacher] Ms. [Anna] Fabela is another teacher who has helped me grow over the years and has always believed in me."
Heavily Involved in Key Club
While she has spent countless hours involved in the science research, over the course of her high school career, Ms. Flores has also been heavily involved in the Key Club and the Huntington Youth Council.
Doing a great deal behind the scenes with the Key Club, Ms. Flores held various state positions, including regional lieutenant governor covering Huntington High School, Half Hollow Hills High Schools East and West, Ward Melville High School and Smithtown High School. "As lieutenant governor, I frequently attended board meetings in Albany with other lieutenant governors from the state to evaluate New York Key Club and maintain our home clubs," she said.
The Huntington senior has also held the posts of public relations and hospitality chair for New York State Key Club and served on the conference committee that plans the statewide three-day convention summit. "Being on the conference committee was an experience like no other," Ms. Flores said. "The amount of work that goes into planning an event for over 1,000 people is incredible, but along the way I have met so many inspiring people who have taught me how to be a strong leader."
The teenager has also served as a Key Club caucus delegate with a vote in the election of incoming state and international officials. "Meeting the international officers was eye-opening as far as the immense real world influence that high school students around the world can have," Ms. Flores said. "We still keep in touch to this day and collaborate on projects together."
Ms. Flores also helped co-charter a Builder's Club at J. Taylor Finley Middle School. It's a middle school version of Key Club. She said the club "has become very successful," but that she did not have much time to spend with it before her Key Club term ended.
Classmate Nicolas Maiarelli introduced Ms. Flores to the Huntington Youth Council during their sophomore year. "It is a youth group open to the students of the town where we meet to discuss town political objectives and plan charity events," she said. "The students in this organization are incredible."
The senior has held the positions of deputy town supervisor and town clerk. "Getting to know these students from different schools in Huntington was a rewarding experience," Ms. Flores said.
While it's a little hard to believe that four years have passed by so swiftly, Ms. Flores is ready to head to Stony Brook and begin classes. Since she has been on the campus so many times over the years, it seems a sure bet that she will quickly settle in.
Ms. Flores' advice to next year's Huntington High School freshmen is crystal clear: "Find what you love and don't be afraid to take on large projects. Time management is tricky, but the sooner you master it the better you will be off. Don't be nervous about making mistakes! If you have an idea that you believe in, stand by it and work with the right people to make it become a reality."