Huntington Alum Returns as
College Valedictorian
Tiffany Sorensen recently returned to her alma mater to speak with the classes of one of her all-time favorite teachers. The 2009 Huntington High School alum was back in the building to meet with teacher Mercedes Peña's students and she had an awful lot to say.
"When I was first exposed to the Spanish language at J. Taylor Finley Middle School, something deep inside me was woken up," Ms. Sorensen said. "Most would doubt that a pre-teen could already have figured out his/her calling in life, but that was precisely the case for me. I had received good grades my whole life, but it was my passion for Spanish that allowed it to come to me so easily. While algebra required hours of studying in order to get an A, I could do a Spanish exercise once and remember it indefinitely."
Ms. Sorensen chose to study Hispanic languages and literature in college. As a freshman, she attended Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania on a scholarship before deciding to transfer to Stony Brook University "out of homesickness and hunger for a more diverse student body," she said.
Stony Brook suited the Huntington grad just fine. She graduated college summa cum laude as valedictorian and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. "We've been keeping in touch over the years and I am very delighted to see how appreciative she is of the Spanish language and culture," Mrs. Pena said. "I'm so proud of her!"
"Needless to say, I have never stopped studying Spanish," Ms. Sorensen said. "Huntington High School gave students the option of not continuing with a foreign language past the tenth grade, but I've been pushing on ever since. I connected on a personal level with all of my Spanish teachers, especially Mrs. [Eliana] Oranges and Mrs. Peña. I couldn't get enough of their lectures and they were both taken by my insatiable desire to learn about Hispanic language and culture."
As a Stony Brook senior, Ms. Sorensen was given an opportunity to work close with a professor on Spanish linguistics theme. "I chose to study the usage of personal pronouns in the various dialects of Spanish," she said. "I conducted an original study that analyzed speech patterns of native speakers. I then compiled all of my research into a 40 page paper written in Spanish."
The unique college project was enlightening. "First and foremost, I learned that with field research, you must be prepared for doubts and disappointments; the results of such studies often raise more questions than they answer," Ms. Sorensen said. "This, to me, is the perfect analogy of foreign language study in general. Studying a language that is not your native tongue is a long-term struggle sprinkled with immense confusion and frustration, but it's worth it!"
Ms. Sorensen's visit to Huntington High School came about when Mrs. Peña invited her to speak to the teacher's classes about the importance of bilingualism in the U.S.A., "a topic that interests me greatly and affects every one of us," the alum said. "I spoke about the value of knowing Spanish when applying for jobs, analyzing vocabulary on tests like the SAT and the many cerebral benefits that foreign language bestows on us."
Ms. Sorensen cited statistics that indicate the United States will be the No. 1 Spanish-speaking country in 2050 according to the number of native speakers.
This summer will be a busy time for Ms. Sorensen. "I will be volunteering on an organic farm in the southernmost state of Mexico," she said. "In Chiapas, I will learn about sustainable agriculture and the richness that is Mexico, my favorite destination. I was infected with the travel bug back when my family sent me to Barcelona as a high school graduation present and it's been thriving in me ever since. Next year, I hope to start my master's degree in Spanish linguistics or translation studies. You can be sure that pursuing a Ph.D. is on the agenda thereafter!"