Angie Hernandez-Ramos Chooses Middlebury College

Angie Hernandez-Ramos will graduate from Huntington High School on Friday night as one of superstars of the Class of 2023. The teenager is headed to Middlebury College in Vermont as she begins to show the world what makes her so special.

“I chose to attend Middlebury in the fall, but sometimes Mrs. [Kelly] Quintero’s version of that rings a bit more true; sometimes, it feels as though Middlebury chose me. Even now as I sit down to choose my first year seminar and begin the process of forming my first year at Middlebury, I keep finding my hopes and visions for the future reflected in Middlebury’s ideals and their own vision for the type of education that I will receive once I’m there. I find that each day, I grow more and more excited to begin my journey into Middlebury.”

Mrs. Quintero is a high school English teacher; just one of many who have come to know and love Ms. Hernandez-Ramos.

“Now Middlebury was one of the first schools that popped up in my college search and quite honestly, one of the first that drew my attention,” Ms. Hernandez Ramos said. “I was drawn in by their classics department, fascinated by their Bread Loaf School of English and ultimately captivated by their core values.”

The teenager has grown by leaps and bounds over the past four years and now she is ready to move on and shine on a different stage.

“I found that as I discovered myself this year and began to understand what it was that I wanted to do,” Ms. Hernandez Ramos said. “I didn’t want to compact myself into this little cubby of classes that would ultimately lead me into an English major; not that I don’t want to major in English. Middlebury just offers me the option to be as diverse as I’d like in my class choice.”

Ms. Hernandez-Ramos will graduate on Friday night with the affection and respect of the entire high school faculty.

“I think that’s what really sets Middlebury apart from other schools and if I really wanted to condense what I was looking for in my college experience down into one word, I think that it would be: options,” Ms. Hernandez Ramos said. “Middlebury offers me the option to go abroad; the option to coat my tongue with as many languages as I’d like; the option to be an interdisciplinary English major that pursues anything and everything that could reveal to me even a tiny scrap of what it takes to create realistic worlds and impactful stories. Most importantly, Middlebury offers me the opportunity to discover myself and expand my strengths.”

Ms. Hernandez Ramos is carefully planning her freshman year of college. “As I look at my options for my first year seminar class, I even see that keyword reflected there whether it’s in a class that blends science and politics or the one that makes a collage out of art, history and sociology,” she said. “Should all of Middlebury’s classes follow a similar structure, then I cannot wait to exist in a college experience where learning is not a chore, but an opportunity to be transformed and molded into an individual of stronger character. If we thumb back to that idea of options, looking back at my high school experience, I think that a younger version of me also yearned for such a thing. One of the greatest decisions I took in my high school experience was to pursue both the AP Capstone program with the AP English lineup. The skills that these two branches of English classes provided me have no doubt made me a writer strong enough to take on any style of writing that Middlebury throws at me, whether it’s research-based or analysis of literature.”

The teenager compiled an excellent academic record over the past four years while taking many challenging courses.

“Do you want to know what was never an option during my time here at the high school?” Ms. Hernandez Ramos asked. “Not being part of the mock trial team. Four years in the running and this member is finally stepping down from the podium, for now at least. I think that in all forms, my time here in Huntington has been irrevocably marked by the mock trial team. I found my home there, met the greatest people in the world and heard the most incredible opening statements and closing arguments. Certainly, I wouldn’t be who I am without mock trial.”

Ms. Hernandez-Ramos devoted an enormous number of hours to preparation during the mock trial season and it all paid off handsomely.

“Goodness, I do love a chance to ramble about the 2023 mock trial season as it’s certainly the defining portion of my senior year,” Ms. Hernandez Ramos said. “I find that I feel the most accomplished finishing this season as compared to the earlier ones and I’m sure that can be attributed to the phenomenal team that will continue forwards in the New York State Bar Association’s mock trial competition. I think, however, that it also has to do with my personal growth this year as an attorney on the team and the strong bonds I’ve formed with my teammates. They are truly a strong group of individuals that are likely to succeed at any path they so should choose.”

To watch Ms. Hernandez-Ramos during a trial was to see poetry in motion. She held the courtroom in the palm of her hand, slicing through opposing arguments and getting the best of witness after witness.

“I don’t think that I could choose a highlight from the mock trial season as all of the competitions have been learning experiences for me and my team,” Ms. Hernandez-Ramos said. “Every moment with them was memorable from our nerve-racking first competition against East Hampton and that sweeping and overbearing joy from our county championship to even the closing moments of our Albany trip that saw soft smiles and pints of Ben and Jerry’s. Certainly, mock trial was the jewel of my senior year and, dare I say, my senior year the jewel of my high school experience.”

The Suffolk Bar Association, which sponsors the mock trial program, named Ms. Hernandez-Ramos its county mock trial Attorney of the Year.

“As I move on to other things, I’m left with fond memories of all the magnificent teachers that I have had the privilege of meeting, the confidence, cadence and killer Ps (poise, professionalism, practice) instilled into me by Mr. [Xavier] Palacios, Mr. [John] LoTurco, Mrs. [Suzi] Biagi and Mr. [Brian] Outsen and a sweeping reassurance that everything will turn out just fine with a bit of effort on my part,” Ms. Hernandez-Ramos said.

The teenager credits her awesome success to the “great support” she has received from teachers, advisors and her parents. She said her dedication was also a contributing factor in being to achieve so much over the past four years.

“What was that phrase that Mrs. [Kristin] Fortunato liked?” Ms. Hernandez Ramos asked. “Ah, Right! ‘Ad Astra Per Aspera. To the stars through adversity.’ Everything will turn out just fine.”