Lily Stein garnered acceptances to some of the best colleges in the country. The Huntington High School senior considered her options before accepting a Presidential Scholarship to attend the University at Buffalo, where she plans to study math and economics.
Huntington High School senior Lily Stein
“The University at Buffalo was always at the top of my list due to its size, location and academic offerings, but I also weighed acceptances to Cornell, Northeastern, Ohio State, Pittsburgh and Wellesley,” Ms. Stein said. “Ultimately, I decided on UB because I was awarded a Presidential Scholarship, the highest merit scholarship offered in the SUNY system. It is given to about two dozen applicants each year through a separate application process and includes automatic admission to the Honors College, preferential course registration and other perks.”
The teenager was also awarded a $10,000 college scholarship by Brookhaven Science Associates, which manages Brookhaven National Laboratory on behalf of the US Department of Energy.
“I’m excited to be heading to Buffalo,” Ms. Stein said. “UB has really grown as a top public university and is an exceptional value. Buffalo is a great city with so much to do. Canada is just a few miles away and I actually love the cold, too.”
While Ms. Stein isn’t settled on a career path just yet, she can see herself going into the areas of either environmental or economic policy.
“I feel very prepared for college because of all of the excellent teachers I’ve had at Huntington as well as the guidance I have received from Mrs. [Bernadette] Walsh and Mrs. [Catherine] Croke over the past four years,” Ms. Stein said. “I also think having the option to take a wide range of different and challenging Advanced Placement classes has prepared me well.”
The senior is currently enrolled in AP Calculus, AP US Government and Politics, AP Macroeconomics/Microeconomics, AP Latin, AP English Language and Composition, AP Psychology, AP Environmental Science and a credit bearing full-year internship with math teacher Patricia Avelli.
“Some of my favorite courses have been both Micro and Macro Economics, AP Statistics and all the other math classes I’ve taken in high school,” Ms. Stein said.
The teenager has been busy outside of the classroom, too. My favorite activity at Huntington has been co-founding the Debate Club and getting it up and running over the past couple of years,” Ms. Stein said. “My hope is that it continues to grow and succeed even after I graduate. I’ve also enjoyed working on climate justice with the Environmental Club and Sunrise Huntington and being involved with the GSA and Women’s Empowerment Clubs.”
Clearly one of the Class of 2020’s top members, Ms. Stein has excelled across the board and she’s enjoyed a very well-rounded experience in the classroom and through extracurricular activities.
“My advice to incoming freshmen is to take advantage of all that’s offered at Huntington, but find balance,” Ms. Stein said. “I chose to take on a very demanding course load my senior year with eight APs as well as clubs, outside activities and a part-time job and while I genuinely enjoy each class, it has been difficult, especially the second semester.”
The teenager always has a set of goals she is working toward accomplishing and there will be plenty to dive into at the University at Buffalo, which boasts an undergraduate enrollment of about 22,000 and another 10,000 students of all ages pursuing graduate and post-graduate studies.
“I’ve had many wonderful teachers and mentors, including Mr. [Kenneth] Donovan, Mrs. [Kristin] Fortunato, Mr. [James] Graber, Mrs. [Patricia] Avelli and Mr. [Matthew] Gelfer,” Ms. Stein said. “But I really have loved every teacher I’ve had. Mrs. Avelli has been instrumental in encouraging my love for math and I have learned so much as an intern in her class this year.”
With Huntington High School having transitioned to remote learning like the rest of the country as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Stein is still working hard in every class. That doesn’t surprise any of her teachers, who have enormous admiration and respect for the senior.
“I’ve loved my time at Huntington and hope that my classmates are able to find ways to celebrate and enjoy our last few months before we head off to college, despite everything that is going on with the coronavirus,” Ms. Stein said. “I will definitely miss all the great relationships I’ve made with teachers and staff as well as with all my friends.”
