Q&A: East Hampton Salutatorian Takes Passion for Writing to College

Tania Uruchima is the salutatorian for the East Hampton High School Class of 2012. The daughter of Ruth Uruchima and Luis Uruchima, Tania is from East Hampton. In the days ahead of graduation on Saturday, Tania told us some more about herself.

What does it mean to you to be named the salutatorian?  

I never went through school with the goal or desire for recognition – I knew that no matter my rank, I had worked as hard as I could have. Nevertheless, I am honored to be chosen as one of the people recognized for my effort. I think it’s important to remember however that though these titles are few, there are so many of my classmates and friends who have put in parallel amounts of work into their studies.

What college will you be attending in the fall and what do you plan on studying? How did you chose the school? 

I’m attending Swarthmore College in the fall, with the goal of pursuing possibly a major in Sociology or English. I chose the school because I wanted a place that had extremely rigorous academics without competitive students. Swarthmore’s student body is known for being very quirky and collaborative, which is an environment I really look forward to experiencing.

What subject did you enjoy the most at East Hampton High School? Why?

I really enjoyed AP Human Geography because it introduced me to a field of studies I hadn’t known existed. It was extremely interesting for me to learn to analyze through writing the forces that shape society. It made me excited to continue studying this in college.

Were you involved in any extra-curricular activities? 

Above all, I’m passionate about writing, which led me to become heavily involved in the Beachcomber newspaper and Beachplums literary arts magazine as my two main extra-curriculars.

Which teacher was your favorite or which faculty member did you learn the most from? Why? 

I can easily say that my favorite teacher is Eric Ferraro, whom I’ve gotten to know as an English teacher for three years. As advisor of both Beachplums and Beachcomber, he has guided me into becoming more confident in my abilities in everything all the way up to my upcoming salutatorian speech.

Do you have any advice for incoming freshman? 

I think the most important thing to remember is to find a passion outside of school and pursue it as far as you can – not only is it good for college applications, but it will make high school pass much more tolerably.

If there is one thing you will take from your studies (at any school) what will it be? 

I’ll reverse it and say one thing I won’t do is be too much of a perfectionist. There will be so many new things to do and study in college, there’s no way I’ll be able to do everything so meticulously anymore!

 Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Would you like to return to East Hampton, further your education, etc.?

As far as careers go, I have no idea, but I’d definitely like to have had something published or be on my way to writing a novel. I probably won’t return to East Hampton, there are many other things to know outside of what’s been my world for 17 years.

What message would you like to leave your classmates as you graduate on Saturday?

I’m going to leave my speech a secret until Saturday!