Senior’s College Essay Leaves No Doubt She’s a Blue Devil

Huntington High School seniors are still filing college application materials, in some cases submitting supplemental essays to make their candidacies for admission even more appealing.

Among those seniors is Devon St. John. She’s verbally committed to attend Cornell University and play on the Big Red’s women’s lacrosse team. But the teenager still has to go through the admissions process like every other senior interested in attending Cornell next fall.

In Ms. St. John’s supplemental essay, she discusses her experiences at Huntington High School and in the community. By the end of it she makes clear that she considers herself to be a Blue Devil for life.

“This June, I will be part of the 163rd graduating class of Huntington High School,” Ms. St. John wrote in her essay. “While we have come a long way since the first six graduates walked across the stage on the eve of the Civil War, Huntington still remains a true American town at its core with a tradition of excellence, perseverance, and dedication to community. Founded in 1653, Huntington has participated in everything from the whaling industry and Civil Rights movement to the patriotic fight of the Revolutionary War. Whether driving down Main Street on the way to first period, or on backroads to pick up teammates for practice, I see countless historical markers every day which remind me of the rich background of my town. From signs marking the former house of Booker T. Washington to bits of history about Revolutionary War hero Nathan Hale, a strong respect for history is prevalent within my community.”

Ms. St. John plays on Huntington’s soccer, winter track and lacrosse teams and she is a manager of the girls’ basketball team. She is president of the Blue Devil varsity club that oversees team fundraising accounts and serves as a sounding board and more to athletic department officials.

The senior is enjoying her last months of high school and she shared with admissions counselors just how she feels about Huntington.

“The courage our forebears have displayed for generations echoes everywhere, but nowhere greater than in the halls and athletic fields of Huntington High School,” Ms. St. John wrote. “My high school is composed of a vibrantly diverse student body with students of all backgrounds and ethnicities. Despite our cultural differences, we are bound together by the whispered legacies of our ancestors, which fosters a deep sense of belonging. My classmates and I have been molded by our community such that we strive to live up to the tradition of excellence of the past, and continue to pass this legacy on to those younger than us. My scholastic community has proven to me that diversity makes people stronger. It promotes acceptance, awareness, and empathy. Regardless of one’s background, we have all grown up together and hold a shared identity in the form of our school mascot, the Blue Devils.”

Ms. St. John maintains stellar grades. She’s been a leader on her sports teams and is expected to play an outsized role on next spring’s varsity girls’ lacrosse team.

“Nathan Hale famously said, ‘I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country,’” Ms. St. John wrote in the final paragraph of the essay. “Similarly, I only regret that I have but four years to be a student at Huntington High School in this amazing community I call home. Yet I have my whole life to call myself a Huntington Blue Devil.”

(If any senior would like to share a college essay and have it reproduced in part or whole in story form, it can be sent to public information coordinator Jim Hoops at jhoops@hufsd.edu.)