Huntington High School senior Rudy Salmeron is headed to SUNY Old Westbury to study business and play on the college’s soccer team. The teenager applied to four colleges and was admitted to all of them, but when it came time to make a final decision, one clearly outweighed the others.
“I decided to go to SUNY Old Westbury because I wanted to stay close to home for a couple of years and I heard it has a beautiful campus,” Mr. Salmeron said. “I’m also going to be playing soccer there and that’s why I want to go there.”
Huntington senior Rudy Salmeron
Born in Huntington Hospital, Mr. Salmeron began his time in Huntington UFSD as a kindergartener at Jefferson Primary School. He is a personable, soft-spoken young man who is quite articulate. He exudes determination.
The teenager played midfield for the Blue Devil varsity squad and he’s a strong, skilled and aggressive player. He plans to train this summer so he’s ready for the demands of college soccer.
The Huntington senior gave strong consideration to going to St. John’s University in Queens because of its highly regarded business program, but he ultimately decided to attend SUNY Old Westbury. However, Mr. Salmeron isn’t closing the door completely to St. John’s. He would be open to the possibility of transferring at some future point.
The teenager’s closest friends include Eren Aydin, Elian Pimentel, Cristian Garay, Jose Turcios, Juan Salamanca, Edwin Rodriguez and Jaden Dipina.
“I want to play soccer for as long as I can,” Mr. Salmeron said. “In the future, I hope to be running my own business and become an entrepreneur.”
The senior said his favorite teachers have been Michael Graziano, Lorena Hickey and Elizabeth Casazza, “because they were always very supportive of me and always told me to strive for my best at all times,” Mr. Salmeron said.
The teenager has a core group of friends at the high school who he leans on and who lean on him. He has many happy memories of the past four years. “I will never forget walking around the halls of Huntington, playing soccer for the school team and going to school events with my friends,” Mr. Salmeron said.