Madelyn Bavaro made what appears to be a natural choice when the Huntington High School senior decided to attend Lehigh University. She will be the third generation of her family to study at the highly regarded Pennsylvania college.
“I first began to look at Lehigh because both my mom and my grandpa went there,” Ms. Bavaro said. “It was always the example of what a university is to me and honestly, while looking at other schools, nothing really compared to it. I wanted a small to medium, liberal arts college that wasn’t in a major urban area, yet wasn’t isolated. Lehigh perfectly fit this description; never mind the fact that it’s beautiful. I don’t know what I want to study yet, but I do know that at Lehigh, I have the ability and time to figure it out.”
The teenager considered several other colleges before finalizing her decision. “I really loved American University in Washington D.C.,” Ms. Bavaro said. “It’s a fantastic school, but I just loved Lehigh more. It just was a better fit for me.”
The senior’s favorite classes have been Advanced Placement World History and Introduction to Photography. “I’ve been interested in taking photos since I was very little,” Ms. Bavaro said. “Instead of dreaming of being an astronaut like so many kids did, I dreamed of being a National Geographic photographer. Although that time has passed, I still love taking photos. Being able to use a dark room was no doubt one of my favorite things I did at Huntington. It’s such an unique experience few can say they did by hand in the 21st century. Photography also created a bond between me and my grandpa that I’m so thankful for. I could not recommend this class more.
AP World History also captured the teenager’s fancy. “History was always my favorite subject and no history class has affected me as much as AP World,” Ms. Bavaro said. “Not only did that class, and Mrs. Desiderio specifically, teach me how to be a better writer, but it also completely expanded my mind as a student.”
Ms. Bavaro said she has worked with “a lot of great teachers” while studying at Huntington. “Off the top of my head, my favorites have to be Mrs. [Victoria] Geier for Fantasy Literature; Signora [Natalia] Kopshti for Italian and Mrs. [Patricia] Avelli for Pre-Calculus Honors,” the senior said. “All three of these teachers have been fantastic educators, no doubt; but they’ve also been so supportive of their students. I always knew that if I ever had problems, I could go to them. I could not thank them more for their support and their compassion.”
The teenager acknowledged teachers have been under added pressure the past two years. “I would be foolish if I failed to mention that all three of these teachers either taught me during the height of the pandemic or this year, when outbreaks are still a common occurrence,” Ms. Bavaro said. “I know it couldn’t have been easy. I can’t imagine the stress all three of these women are under and yet, they were/are able to be such stable pillars for many students like myself during unstable times. I cannot thank them or appreciate them more.”
