Kaitlin Camporese named SUNY New Paltz Class of 2014 salutatorian #NPGrad

2014 May 13

Kaitlin Camporese of Yorktown Heights, N.Y., an accounting major, has been named as the salutatorian for the class of 2014 at the State University of New York at New Paltz. Similar to Arielle Rubinstein, the class of 2014 valedictorian, Camporese found the small size of the school appealing as she was trying to decide which SUNY school to attend.

"When I came here to visit, I thought it was really beautiful - it was one of the nicest looking schools that I saw," said Camporese. "After going on the tours and seeing that the class sizes were small, I was really drawn to it. ... It's more personal with your teachers, when they get to know you. It's just an easier environment to learn in."

Camporese said she's always been good at mathematics, but wasn't sure which field of study to pursue in college. She was considering engineering, "but when I took physics my senior year (of high school), I kind of hated it," she said. Seeking to integrate math into her career while not solely focusing on it, she became an accounting major.

"Once I came here (to New Paltz), and I started taking classes like financial accounting - the first accounting class I took - I really loved it, and knew that was what I wanted to do," said Camporese. "A lot of people think it's really boring ... but I like it a lot, and I'm glad I picked it."

Camporese plans to attend graduate school after New Paltz, and has applied to a few universities. Her goal is to earn her Certified Public Accountant license and become a professional accountant for a corporation.