Kimberly Panameno Garners Palacios Family Scholarship

Huntington Class of 2024 member Kimberly Panameno plans to pursue her dream of becoming a Spanish teacher at St. Joseph’s University in Patchogue. The teenager is this year’s recipient of the Palacios Family Scholarship, which carries a $2,500 stipend.

Ms. Panameno said her family immigrated to the United States from El Salvador in search of a better education. She found it in Huntington, where she graduated as a Distinguished Senior after excelling in and out of the classroom.

The Palacios Family Scholarship “is available to seniors who have helped the Huntington Station Latinx community prosper and can demonstrate they will be attending an accredited college or university,” according to application materials. “Applicants of this one-time $2,500 scholarship must have achieved an 85 average and completed at least 10 hours of community service.”

On behalf of her herself, her husband, Xavier and her three children, Laura Palacios made the formal scholarship presentation to Ms. Panameno before a crowd of 300 in the high school auditorium at the senior scholarships and awards night ceremony.

Co-president of the high school’s New World Club for the past two years and a New York State Seal of Biliteracy recipient, Ms. Panameno credits her time management skills for her success because they have allowed her to create a balance between school and outside activities.

“The Huntington Station Latino community is what I devote my life to because it’s the place that has taught me to be the person I am today,” wrote Ms. Panameno in her Palacios scholarship application. “I have grown up my entire life in this community full of diversity, which makes it a very special community. From the minute I began high school, I was determined to help all Latinos at Huntington High School.”

Ms. Panameno’s freshman year was largely consumed by COVID-19 restrictions. However, as a sophomore, she had an opportunity to work closely with three ENL (English as a new language) students in her Introduction to Photography class. “I was able to go out with them on weekends to take pictures,” she recalled. “It did not feel like an obligation because despite helping them understand the class better, I was able to make new friends. To this day, Mrs. [Pamela] Piffard appreciates my help with that class.”

The teenager excelled in many of the high school’s most challenging classes, including Advanced Placement courses. She won awards in the National History Day contest as a sophomore and junior, including for her documentary on immigration.

Ms. Panameno is determined to make a difference in this world. She is a proud young woman with plenty of determination and a strong work ethic. Her teachers and classmates at Huntington High School believe she herself will make a wonderful teacher one day.

“Being a Latina in the community has been difficult because you are sometimes looked down at just because of your background, but that has allowed me to becoming stronger,” Ms. Panameno said. “Everyone has their own capabilities and I have tried my best to make them feel welcome in our community. I have pushed them to join as many clubs or sports in school because race should not be a barrier for them to show what they are capable of. In the future, I hope to help all those first generation students by pushing them to go to college and give them a hand through the entire process, much like Mrs. [Bernadette] Walsh did with my through my process.”