Isabella Annunziata has plenty to be proud of. The Huntington High School senior has spent the past four years exploring core curriculum and elective courses, participating in sports teams and after school clubs and developing dozens of unforgettable relationships with classmates and teachers.
Huntington senior Isabella Annunziata.
The teenager has been spending a lot of time thinking about her future. Ms. Annunziata has decided to attend Penn State University in the fall. She’s excited with the choice and she can’t wait to begin a new experience.
“I knew that I wanted to go to school for nursing,” Ms. Annunziata said. “I wanted to find a school that offered nursing in a four year program and Penn State was one of those schools.”
Ms. Annunziata studied Penn State’s offerings and thought about how they could meet her interests and goals. She found the university to be an excellent fit for her personally.
“During this four year program, I am required to spend one academic year at Hershey Medical Center, which is a Level 1 trauma center,” Ms. Annunziata said. “The great thing about my program is that I’m one of only 150 students accepted at University Park. So I get to be a part of a smaller community within such a huge campus that offers so much. I knew the second we drove through the university that this is where I want to be. The campus, the nursing program and facilities, the town and the sports all drew me in.”
The Huntington senior was also accepted into nursing programs at Drexel University, UMass Amherst, Northeastern, Sacred Heart, Fairfield and Scranton.
“I’m not sure what career path I’m heading down yet,” Ms. Annunziata said. “Nursing has so many different fields and aspects to consider. I’m looking forward to figuring it out.”
Ms. Annunziata has been a mainstay in the Huntington girls’ lacrosse program, playing on the varsity for the past three seasons. She ran on the winter track team as a sophomore and junior. She’s a great student, too. The teenager has been inducted in the high school’s National Honor Society and Italian Honor Society chapters.
A four year member of Huntington High School’s Relay For Life planning committee, Ms. Annunziata’s senior year academic schedule includes Advanced Placement Biology, AP Italian, Pre-Calculus AB Honors, Science Research, Economics, Participation in Government, Bible Literature and Humanities.
The teenager is engaged in a credit bearing internship with high school math teacher Michael Graziano. “Mr. Graziano has been a huge part of my life since tenth grade,” Ms. Annunziata said. “He helped me discover my love for math, but also has taught me a lot about life and the type of person I want to be. I’ve really enjoyed being his intern. The laughs never stop. I’m really going to miss him.”
Ms. Annunziata is an upbeat young woman with a spring in her step. Known for her outgoing personality, she is a wonderful student, too. Like any teenager, she has her favorite classes.
“Science research has been a class that I’ve been taking since ninth grade,” Ms. Annunziata said. “This year, a research team consisting of myself and two others have been researching the over use of post-surgery pain killers vs. the healing effects of acupuncture.”
With her time as a high school senior nearing its end, the teenager recently looked back over the past four years. She an enviable record and will leave with the respect of everyone in the building.
“Taking the time now to reflect on my years at Huntington makes me realize it’s not one moment or class that has defined me,” Ms. Annunziata said. “It’s the people and the million little everyday things that makes Huntington so special. My teachers, my coaches, my friends and teammates and all the different clubs and activities you can get involved in.”
