Maddie Gabriel has big plans for the future and interesting ideas about the direction in which she wants to take her life, but that doesn’t prevent the Huntington High School junior from enjoying the here and now.
Ms. Gabriel is a wonderful young woman; the type of student who forms the backbone of Huntington High School. She’s pursuing her interests with enthusiasm and determination and sets a high bar for herself.
“Some courses that piqued my interest this year are definitely physics and the SAT prep courses,” Ms. Gabriel said. “I have always loved math and science and was very excited to be able to take physics this year. I find it challenging, but in a good way. I was also very pleased to have the opportunity to take the SAT prep courses this year. I feel that they have really helped me and have significantly improved my SAT scores.”
Ms. Gabriel is highly articulate with a good grasp of her strengths. She has learned a lot over the years and she is making the very best of her time at the high school.
“Some teachers that I look forward to working with next year are Mr. [Joseph] Leavy, for AP Government and Politics and Mrs. [Paige] Tyree for Virtual Enterprise, which is a course that I really wanted to take this year, however, I was unable to due to scheduling conflicts,” Ms. Gabriel said.
A member of Huntington’s Art Honor Society, Ms. Gabriel recently joined the high school’s yearbook club. She hopes to continue with these activities next year as well as participating in the Key Club and Habitat for Humanity. “Next year I would also like to be in more honors societies and possibly join another club, environmental club, for example,” the teenager said.
The teenager gets along with classmates and faculty members equally well. Ms. Gabriel is a great conversationalist and she works hard at everything she does, always striving for excellence.
“My closest friend is Grace Colavecchio,” Ms. Gabriel said. “She has been there for me since fourth grade and is an amazing person and friend. She is so kind and caring and I’m so lucky to get to call her my best friend. I am also very close with Mrs. [Ayallah] Jeddah, my ceramics teacher. She has been my teacher since eighth grade and she is one of my favorite teachers. She knows how to handle my out-of-the-box creativity well and I feel that I can speak for many of my peers, as well as myself when I say that Mrs. Jeddah is a mentor to me.”
The teenager is well-known around the high school and she is highly regarded by everyone. Never one to be merely a bystander, she is actively involved in all of her classes and extracurricular pursuits.
“Over the years I have had many great teachers, but one that stood out to me specifically was Mrs. [Lauren] Desiderio,” the junior said. “She is an amazing teacher and really helped me in AP World History. I can recall last year when we were studying for our AP test and I was very stressed out and she took the time to go over prompts with me and reassured me that I would do well on the exam and I will always be grateful for that.”
Ms. Gabriel’s advice to next year’s ninth graders? “I would tell the incoming freshmen that high school is not scary at all and they should not be afraid or nervous,” she said. “All of the teachers understand that this is new to you and that you are still learning at school. The work may seem like a lot sometimes, but you just have to start using good time management skills and if you’re really having a hard time, reach out to your teachers or a faculty member that you trust. They are all there to help you and may give you extra time on an assignment.”
As a high school junior, Ms. Gabriel is beginning to formulate her post-graduation plans. She has a fairly clear idea of the direction she intends to take as she moves forward with her life.
“At this point in time I’m very interested in going to college on the west coast,” Ms. Gabriel said. “I don’t have a specific one, but I have always wanted to go west and I’m excited for what the future brings. In college, I want to study finance. I feel that this will give me a wide range of opportunities, because there are financial jobs in almost every field. My career interests have always been to be in the finance/business field because I have done very well in math.”
Every day is a new adventure for Ms. Gabriel, with new things to learn, new people to meet and new possibilities that she is always open to and she seeks to get the most out of life.
“I feel great about the time that I have spent at Huntington,” Ms. Gabriel said. “I have done well in all of my classes, made friends, participated in many in school activities and made connections with teachers that I will hold forever. Everyone here is so kind and helpful that I’m sad that my time will be ending next year and that COVID, has taken a lot of time away from all of that. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t have wanted to spend my high school experience anywhere else.”