Laura Lundi Charts Her Future
Laura Lundi has dreams. The Huntington High School senior is a confident young woman who sets high goals and works hard to achieve them. She came to the district as a sophomore and has made good use of her time since then.
The teeanger's career goals are to become a nurse, psychologist and model. "I know that's a lot, but I think I can handle it," Mr. Lundi said. "I want to do all those things because I like helping people and changing the way people think."
The senior obtained her nursing assistant certification at Wilson Tech last year. "I think I would be a good psychologist because I've gone through troubles in my life and I don't want to see other people go through troubles," Ms. Lundi said.
Prior to coming to Huntington, Ms. Lundi "moved around" between Deer Park and Wheatley Heights. Since she arrived here, the senior has wasted little time, participating in an assortment of activities and running on the Blue Devil spring track and field team.
Ms. Lundi has worked closely with school dean Rob Gilmor, who is the faculty advisor to the Natural Helpers club, a group that assists students in need. "Students have to be nominated by other students to be trusted as a Natural Helper, so I'm really honored to have been chosen," Ms. Lundi said.
"Laura is a terrific student," Mr. Gilmor said. "She has a strong desire to help her peers. She comes to school both happy and enthusiastic. She is very resilient. Her friends see her as a caring and compassionate person. With the proper support and encouragement, I can see Laura going into a field where she is able to help others."
This year, Ms. Lundi helped establish an anti-bullying club with a group of fellow students she calls "the big six" and Mr. Gilmor and Ms. Youlanda Carey. "In this club, we discuss our goals for change; to make the school feel safer for kids who are bullied and to help bullies find other ways to act," Ms. Lundi said. "We were part of an assembly program to help people recognize the bullying that goes on."
The teenager also enjoys athletics. "I love running," Ms. Lundi said. "I have been running track since eighth grade. I was on the Huntington track team last year and had a great time."
"Laura is a young lady dedicated to improving herself academically, professionally and athletically," Blue Devil track coach Jennifer Fudens said. "She knows what she wants from her future and is using her time in high school to best prepare for that. She is enjoyable to coach, friendly and makes the most of every situation."
Ms. Lundi's journey through Huntington High School has been made a little bit easier by a group of faculty and staff members. "I've had a lot of support from Mr. Gilmor, Ms. Youlanda [Carey], Ms. Rhonda [Nixon], Ms. D. (Desiree Knox), Ms. [Linda] Munno, and Mr. [Ronald] Wilson," she said. "I loved English last year with Mrs. [Irene] Woll. I love the teachers who are calm and understand how I think, like Mrs. [Donna] Nugent and Mrs. [Rebecca] Arlin."
As she prepares for her final months at Huntington High School, the senior offered some insightful words to members of the Class of 2017. "To incoming freshmen, I advise that you stay on your game, do your work and do not get caught up with the drama," Ms. Lundi said. "If you don't keep up, you'll regret it later."