Sophia LaCentra is an eternally optimistic Huntington High School senior. She has always displayed a sunny personality and outlook on life, even during her earliest days as a kindergartener at Washington Primary School. Now she’s all grown up, but her disposition hasn’t really changed. She is set to attend Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan and begin pursuing her dreams.
“FIT has been my dream school since I was 10 years old,” Ms. LaCentra said. “I’ve been interested in fashion since I was little, but more recently discovered my interests in business, hence my major of fashion business management.”
Huntington High School senior Sophia LaCentra.
Ms. LaCentra is a fine student, earning a place on the Huntington High School Honor Roll. “I considered other schools like Marist College, but I came to realize, if I want to study fashion there’s no better place to be than New York City,” she said. “Once I’m there, I really hope to help out at New York Fashion Week and take full advantage of every internship opportunity FIT offers.”
Named a Distinguished Senior earlier this spring in a nod to her outstanding academic record, Ms. LaCentra has been inducted in numerous Huntington honor societies and participated in the high school’s Interact Club and Habitat for Humanity chapters.
“Right now, I’m not exactly sure what I want to do in the fashion industry, but I think I might like to be a buyer for a brand,” Ms. LaCentra said.
The teenager is very closely identified with the Huntington Highsteppers, the high school’s competitive dance team. Ms. LaCentra is an exceptional dancer and leader and the Highsteppers will miss her. She has competed at the national championships individually and with the team several times.
The teenager counts Kaitlyn Smith, Anna Crockett, Casey Smith and Mia Redick as her closet friends.
“Sophia has been my best friend since the start of high school and I couldn’t have done it without her,” Ms. Crockett said. “She is an extremely hardworking and loving person who puts all she has into everything. I’m so proud of her and I know she will do amazing things at FIT.”
Ms. LaCentra and her friends count on each other in good times and bad and they all show a remarkable degree of loyalty to one another.
“Sophia is one of the most dedicated people I know,” Casey Smith said. “I truly admire her ability to make the best out of any situation. She is incredibly kind, generous and caring. I couldn’t ask for a better best friend and I am so grateful to have someone like her in my life.”
When it comes time for the group of friends to head off in opposite directions for college, it will be hard. But the friendships they have developed are so strong, that they will surely endure.
“Sophia LaCentra has been my best friend since I was in kindergarten,” Ms. Redick said. “She has a great head on her shoulders and is very smart. Sophia always makes the right choices and she is a great person overall.”
Ms. LaCentra is well-liked by all her teachers. “My all-time favorite teacher would 100 percent be Ms. [Camille] Tedeschi,” the senior said. “She is one of the most focused, hardworking and amazing teachers I have ever had. I learned so much in my three years having her as a teacher and I hope to stay in contact after graduation.”
The faculty favorite feels much the same way about Ms. LaCentra. “The Class of 2019 is full of outstanding individuals,” Ms. Tedeschi said. “Sophia is one of my favorite students and has been since I first taught her in Global 9 Honors. I taught her for three years and traveled with her to Eastern Europe. She is unique, creative and hardworking and has a personality that is not like many others. She is always happy and smiling and looking to achieve goals that she sets for herself. I admire her drive and always looked forward to teaching her. I am proud of her accomplishments and know that she will continue to excel at FIT.”
Ms. LaCentra is excited about what lies ahead at FIT and beyond. But while she will begin college with the enthusiasm she is famous for, the teenager will also miss everything she is leaving behind.
“As I leave Huntington, I will always remember the strong sense of community,” Ms. LaCentra said. “I have always felt accepted and at home at Huntington and I will truly miss it!”
