Angelina Somma named Valedictorian of SUNY New Paltz’s Class of 2025
As the descendant of a family of teachers, Angelina Somma ’24 (Adolescence Education: Social Studies) ’26g (Literacy Education) knew she wanted to follow in their footsteps from a young age, and she knew SUNY New Paltz was the place to help her reach that goal.
“Everyone I know back home has a reverence for the School of Education,” she said. “The faculty here are all seasoned, and they gave me the foundation I needed to become a teacher.”
That journey is now culminating as Somma prepares to serve as the Valedictorian of SUNY New Paltz’s Class of 2025. She will reflect on her undergraduate career when she gives the Student Address before assembled graduates at the Sunday Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony on May 18.
Somma, a native of Malverne, New York, has already achieved the primary objective she set when she enrolled at New Paltz: earning her bachelor’s degree in education, and securing her first teaching position as a ninth-grade history teacher.
The fact that she got her position at her own high school, Valley Stream North High School in Franklin Square, New York, makes the accomplishment even sweeter.
“Having experienced a sliver of what post-college life is like, I hope to share with my fellow graduates that growing and learning is what will define their next chapter,” she said.
But Somma is not stopping there. Inspired by her grandfather, a retired English teacher, she is now pursuing a second degree at New Paltz: the Master of Science in Education in Literacy Education, equipping herself with the credentials to break into an area of teaching that is in high demand among districts after years of declining childhood reading rates in the United States.
“My classes have opened my eyes to the connection between incarceration rates and literacy education in different areas,” she said. “This has motivated me to do all I can to reverse this cycle. Though I’m a social studies teacher, I believe that literacy should be taught in every single content area, because it’s vital to be a successful speaker and writer.”
In the school and in the pool: Somma’s undergraduate career as a student-athlete
Somma’s path to becoming a high school teacher was paved by her foundational Education classes, along with the rigorous, multidisciplinary courseload of the SUNY New Paltz Honors Program, where she explored her love of history while solidifying her teaching philosophy.
Her Honors Program senior thesis, guided by 2024 SUNY Chancellor’s Award winner and Associate Professor of History Andy Evans, was a reflective content analysis of the memoirs of World War I soldiers, emphasizing the importance of primary source narratives in history education.
“This project showed me how to create more engaging lessons using primary sources in the classroom,” she said. “Being able to connect with first-person accounts gives you a broader understanding of a period of time.”
Not only was Somma a model student in school, but she excelled in the pool as a member of the Hawks women’s swimming team. She was named team captain in 2023 and entrusted with the responsibility of stepping up for her younger teammates.
“I had to learn to build trust and foster relationships with people,” she said. “There’s no way to be successful at anything if you don’t foster that connection with who you’re leading.”
Today, Somma’s Hawk journey in both academics and athletics has prepared her for her current and most meaningful role.
“I attribute all of my success to being a student-athlete at SUNY New Paltz,” she said. “Now, I want to pass on some of the same lessons I learned both in the school and in the pool to my students.”
About Commencement 2025 at SUNY New Paltz
This year’s Undergraduate Commencement Ceremonies will be held on Saturday, May 17, and Sunday, May 18, 2025, on the Old Main Quad on the SUNY New Paltz campus. Both ceremonies will begin at 10 a.m.
The Saturday Ceremony honors graduates of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, and the Sunday Ceremony honors graduates of the School of Business, School of Education, School of Fine & Performing Arts and School of Science & Engineering.
The Graduate Commencement Ceremony will take place on Friday, May 16, at 6 p.m., also on the Old Main Quad.
More information at https://www.newpaltz.edu/commencement/.