Caitlyn Palermo’s star keeps rising. The Huntington High School senior is a highly regarded young filmmaker whose reputation keeps growing as she takes on more projects and excels.
A driven young woman by any measure, Ms. Palermo is a very organized teenager who demonstrates the time management skills of a Fortune 500 company executive. She makes every minute count.
“Last summer, I had the amazing opportunity to be immersed in film,” Ms. Palermo said. “I spent two weeks in Greenport at the Manhattan Film Institute program. There I learned how to write a script, work with actors, direct a film and work as a crew member on other people’s film sets.”
Later in the summer, Ms. Palermo traveled with her family to California for the first time. They visited family there and toured through Chapman University, Biola University and the University of Southern California.
The senior’s current academic schedule includes classes in Advanced Placement Statistics, Spanish 5 Honors, Economics, Film & Short Story, Advanced Video Production/Video III and a credit bearing internship with a Video I class.
Ms. Palermo is applying to Chapman University, Biola University, University of Southern California, School of Visual Arts and Ithaca College. “I want to study film and my major will be film production,” she said.
“All of my teachers have impacted me in different ways, however my top two teachers would be Mrs. [Patricia] Avelli and Mrs. [Heather] Swan,” Ms. Palermo said. “They both have been there for me in difficult times and by far know me the best.”
The teenager and Mrs. Swan have collaborated very closely in the video arts room with stunning results. “I have had the privilege of working with Caitlyn for four years and watching her grow into a dedicated, hardworking, incredible young lady,” Mrs. Swan said. “She is a phenomenal team leader and a brilliant editor.”
An All-Division varsity tennis player, Ms. Palermo was a team captain and county Sportsmanship Award recipient. She is a member of Huntington’s National Honor Society, Art Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society chapters. The teenager is also a key participant in the high school’s Grandfriends Club.
Ms. Palermo said she had a “really great bond with all” of her tennis teammates. Her closest friends also include Hiya Akber, Lexi Helburn, Isyss Jones, Angelina Larkin, Paige Mangan, Lily O’Heir and Rocio Trujillo.
The senior’s advice for incoming Huntington freshmen? “High school is going to go by fast so work hard and get good grades, but also have some fun because before you know it, it’s over,” Ms. Palermo said.
Considering how talented the teenager is, it’s a good bet she will be reaping an armful of awards as her senior year progresses. When she graduates next June, Ms. Palermo will step off the stage with her diploma in hand along with a sense of pride and satisfaction.
“Like anything else there’s going to be good days and bad days, but overall I’ve had a really good experience at Huntington,” Ms. Palermo said.
