April Swanson is one of Huntington High School’s most dynamic young photographers. The junior recently produced a pair of images that highlight her continued growth as an artist.
“I took these photos of my sister for an assignment for my photography class,” Ms. Swanson said. “For this assignment, I had to take photos of a person with a sheet over their head and funny accessories as a Halloween themed photoshoot. This my first year taking photography and I am absolutely loving it! It was always a fun hobby of mine to take photos so I thought I would add it to my school day as well. I like to capture quick memories within photos so I can look back at them in the future. Photography will always be one of my favorite hobbies.”
The teenager’s sister, Sarah was the model in both photos. Ms. Swanson used her iPhone XR to snap the images, which Huntington photography Pamela Piffard-Williams praised.
Ms. Swanson is an intriguing young woman. While she is a fine up-and-coming photographer, she has other interests, too.
“My most interesting and favorite class is Fashion Design & Illustration because I am really being myself and creating things I want to make and design,” Ms. Swanson said.
The junior’s favorite faculty member? “Definitely my math teacher, Mr. [Nicholas] Wagner because he is the best math teacher I have ever had and he makes it easy to learn math,” Ms. Swanson said.
Outside of class, the teenager plays on the Blue Devil girls’ soccer team. Ms. Swanson is also a great runner and she qualified for the national championships with Huntington’s girls’ indoor track team before the COVID-19 pandemic led to the event being cancelled.
Among Ms. Swanson’s closest friends are Francesca Stamatatos, Carl Pulizzotto, Brooke Haas and Sean Hassett.
Science teacher Anna Fabela made a “huge impact” on Ms. Swanson during her freshman year. “How I do in school now is because she gave me so many good lessons on why we should really pay attention during class,” the junior said.
Ms. Swanson’s advice to incoming ninth graders? “Join clubs and sport teams, become friendly with your teacher and have a good bond with them and also try to be organized,” she said.
The teenager’s No. 1 college interest is currently Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan, “but I am not sure what I would study there,” Ms. Swanson said. “My No. 2 is UConn for soccer and also for its nursing program. I would love to become a nurse in the labor and delivery room. My No. 3 is the University of South Carolina, where I would study elementary education with an emphasis on first graders.”
Ms. Swanson is thoroughly enjoying her time at the high school and plans on having many more happy days this year and next before she graduates in June 2022.
“Huntington has really shaped me into the person I wanted to be and made me realize what amazing things I can do and are capable of,” Ms. Swanson said. “Huntington has been giving me a wonderful experience and I hope college does the same.”
