Katherine Estrada is a remarkable young woman who has gained the admiration of her classmates and teachers. The teenager is president of Huntington High School’s Class of 2024. She’s taking challenging classes, participates in the club and sports programs and displays a work ethic that speaks for itself. Her desire to seize upon the opportunities that are coming her way is steadfast.
The teenager had a busy summer. “I spent a lot of time with my friends; with my family and with my dad as he taught me how to drive,” Ms. Estrada said. “I was lucky this summer because I didn’t have too many summer assignments, but I made sure I was still reading or doing any work that I knew would help me with my upcoming classes as I knew that they would be challenging. At the end of August, I spent a lot of time enjoying my time with my friends and going out. I wanted to make sure I made this summer count before school started.”
The junior is thoroughly enjoying her courses, including Advanced Placement Computer Science with math teacher Nicholas Wagner. “I absolutely love this class,” Ms. Estrada said. “It is something new and very different than most classes. I really enjoy the idea of coding and learning Java. I am also enjoying Pre-Calculus with Mrs. [Patricia] Avelli. Many may disagree, but I absolutely love the challenge in this class. With Pre-Calc I am learning there are endless ways to solve one question, which makes me so intrigued by the complexity.”
Ms. Estrada is very involved in extracurricular activities at the high school. She plays on the varsity girls’ soccer team and has been involved in the program since eighth grade. President of the Class of 2024, the teenager is also treasurer of the General Organization. She is a Social Justice Ambassador and member of the Key Club, New World Club and United Amigos. She translates articles for the Dispatch student newspaper.
“Coach [Maria] Canino is a coach/teacher that I trust and will never forget once I graduate,” Ms. Estrada said. “I met her back during my first year of high school in girls soccer. From the way she presented herself, I could tell from that instant that she is a strong, hardworking, independent woman. I viewed her as my role model. She is someone I very much look up to and intend to be like; smart, kind, super helpful and super supportive.”
Ms. Estrada is a Huntington Blue Devil marching band pit section leader. “After five years of the program, my love for it still grows,” she said. The junior recently traveled with to the state championships with the band.
“My high school experience has been great so far,” Ms. Estrada said. “There have been times where stress and pressure have given me some hard days, but I have made many friends throughout the years that have my back and support me.”
Ms. Estrada was inducted into the Spanish Honor Society and Tri-M Music Honor Society as a sophomore. She has applied to and been accepted into the English Honor Society, Social Studies Honor Society and Science Honor Society this year. She is waiting to hear on her application for admission to the National Honor Society.
“While it might seem early, going to college has been a thought of mine since middle school,” Ms. Estrada said. “Being a daughter of very hard working and dream chasing immigrant parents, my main goal is to make sure I take advantage of the opportunity of education that my parents gave me by coming to this country.”
The junior hopes to study either engineering or computer science. “I don’t have a definite answer as to where I want to study, but I do want to stay close to home as I have sisters that are going to elementary school and I don’t want to miss out on much as they grow up,” Ms. Estrada said. “Some schools that have caught my eye are Fordham University, Rochester Institute of Technology and University at Scranton. My top two schools are MIT and Cornell University.”