Olivia Palmer’s Sensational Run Continues
Olivia Palmer has seized upon just about every possible opportunity that has come her way over the past four years. The Huntington High School senior will graduate next June after a sensational run that has produced experiences the teenager will always remember.
Ms. Palmer has been a student in the district since kindergarten. “Some of my most memorable experiences in the district would have to be doing the musicals at Finley, being in the pit for the musicals during high school, taking part in Playfest every year, helping out with Relay For Life and traveling to New Orleans with Habitat for Humanity,” she said.
Ms. Palmer has enormous energy. Bright, articulate, well-read, witty, humorous and loyal to the core, the teenager is very popular with classmates. Since entering high school the teenager has distinguished herself in every possible way. She’s belonged to the wind ensemble, orchestra winds, Habitat for Humanity, Key Club and six honor societies including Tri-M, the National Honor Society and the science, math, English and Italian honor societies.
“Although I enjoy contributing to all my extra-curiculars, I especially look forward to wind ensemble, National Honor Society and Habitat for Humanity each year,” Ms. Palmer said.
National Honor Society President
This year the senior is president of Huntington’s National Honor Society chapter and vice-president of the Habitat for Humanity chapter. She is a co-event chair of next spring’s Relay For Life, collaborating with fellow student chairs Hector Alvarado, Summer Rudish and Caitlin Yabroudy on the overall organizing of the huge event.
“I’m really looking forward to having the opportunity this year to contribute my own ideas and services to these amazing organizations,” Ms. Palmer said about the groups she is helping to lead. As if she doesn’t have enough to keep her busy, Ms. Palmer recently signed up for Huntington’s new robotics club.
“Sometimes it can get overwhelming with all of the clubs, school work, my job at Park Avenue Physical Therapy and flute, but it’s worth the extra effort because of the lifelong experiences I gather from them,” Ms. Palmer said.
“Olivia is the type of person who you can always count on to make you laugh,” classmate Summer Rudish said. “In the past couple of years that I have known her, she’s become one of my best friends. She is trustworthy and caring and an all-around good person. Working side-by-side with her through Habitat, National Honor Society and Relay there is no doubt how hard of a worker she is. I’m grateful to have her around, and know she will accomplish great things in years to come.”
Challenging Set of Classes
Ms. Palmer is currently enrolled in AP Literature and Composition, AP Government, BC Calculus, AP Physics, AP Microeconomics and senior band. Her favorite classes include Physics with science teacher Judy Pazienza, band with music teachers Brian Stellato and Jason Giachetti, AP US History with social studies teacher Kenneth Donovan and pre-Calculus with math teacher Patricia Tagliente.
“While the material in these classes makes them my favorite, the teachers are also my favorites along with Mr. [Rob] Gilmor and Mr. [Joseph] Cohen,” Ms. Palmer said. “They have all taught me valuable lessons in and out of the classroom which have helped me through my high school career.” (Mr. Gilmor is a school dean and the Habitat for Humanity club’s faculty advisor. Mr. Cohen is a science teacher and the National Honor Society faculty advisor. NHS takes the lead in organizing Relay For Life.)
“One of the most important projects I’ve done in high school is a career and college oriented one assigned by Ms. Paz in my Honors Physics class in eleventh grade,” Ms. Palmer said. “The project forced me to really look into a possible future career, the degree required and the colleges that offer it, each college’s cost and the future beginning salary of a job and how long it would take to pay off the college tuition. After researching engineering for the project, I decided to combine my interest in math and science with my passion for the environment and helping others. This led me to decide to major in engineering in college, specifically, environmental engineering or civil engineering.”
Engineers without Borders
Ms. Palmer is also considering participating in Engineers without Borders at some point in the future. The organization “supports community-driven development programs worldwide by collaborating with local partners to design and implement sustainable engineering projects, while creating transformative experiences and responsible leaders,” according to the group’s website. “Our 13,800 members work with communities to find appropriate solutions for water supply, sanitation, energy, agriculture, civil works, structures and information systems.”
In addition to studying engineering, Ms. Palmer plans to continue participating in musical ensembles during college. She’s applying to Boston University, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia and Northeastern as well as several others.
Ms. Palmer advises incoming Huntington freshman that “it’s never too late to join clubs and make new friends in high school.” The senior will graduate with many warm feelings for her classmates and her overall high school experience.
“Looking back now, the thing that always stands out in my mind about Huntington is how united and enthusiastic the town is about everything,” Ms. Palmer said. “Whether it’s the parades, fundraisers or sports games, it seems like you can always feel a part of a giant family.”