May 25, 2006 5:20 PM
Stephanie Tolentino, a vivacious 18-year-old Columbus HS senior, ticks off the feathers in her cap with aplomb: vice president of the National Honor Society; publicist of the Spanish Honor Society; captain of the cheerleading team; executive staff member of the senior advisory team; and member of the gym club, food service club, yearbook club and school leadership team.
During her first three years at Columbus, Stephanie took an extra full load of classes. Now in her final year, with an 85-percent average and all her Regents behind her, she is focusing on what she loves best: school service.
“That’s how you get to know positive people, not negative people,” she says.
Stephanie has embraced the full spectrum of pursuits and opportunities that her large school offers. She has become, she says, the “go-to person” for so many things that she has had to train herself to sometimes say no.
Now she can’t wait to find her way in a much-bigger school than Columbus: the University of California at Los Angeles, where she will study physical therapy and sports medicine.
“It’s a different place where I can grow and get to know different people,” Stephanie says. “I want to go to a school where nobody knows me and where I can make a different impression, a new impression.”