Q. Who is in your family?

A. I live with my mom Gretchen, my dad Kent and my two dogs Cleo and Luna.

Q. What do you most enjoy about being a senior at Emmaus High School?

A. I really enjoy the excitement of looking ahead into the future. All throughout high school, I have viewed college as some far away dream, but having it be a reality in my near future has been surreal and has caused me to appreciate every moment I have left at EHS.

Q. What is your favorite subject? Why?

A. My favorite subject is environmental science because I have come to learn that it truly connects to every aspect of our lives. I view helping the environment as an immediate global priority and I am fascinated by all of the ways that we can make a difference in our daily lives.

Q. Have you received any special awards or recognition?

A. I am a member of National Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society. I have also received awards through my participation in National History Day competitions and PJAS competitions.

Q. What are your favorite extracurricular activities?

A. I have played violin in the school orchestra for all of my time at EHS and I am also in Sinfonia and Chamber orchestras. Stage crew, like orchestra, is also a huge part of my life especially this year because I am a head of the props crew. I am also involved in Interact (a community service club), Envirothon and I volunteer at Cedarbrook Senior Care on the weekends.

Q. What is your next goal after high school?

A. I am going to attend college, with the intention to major in environmental science and possibly minor in international relations or economics. After that, I am not sure what I will do, considering the immediate demand for environmental scientists I may dive into a career directly after college, but attending graduate school is also not off the table.

Q. What do you consider your biggest challenge to date?

A. A challenge that I am still working on is trying to live more in the moment. I find that while thinking about the future is important, I often become too fixated on my long-term goals and risk missing out on smaller opportunities to learn and have a positive impact on others.

Q. For what would you like to be remembered?

A. I would ultimately like people to remember me as someone who made every effort to help others while filling my own life with joy. I also hope that I am remembered not just for who I am as a person but for making an impact on the world around me.

Q. Whom do you admire? Why?

A. I am influenced by so many people without one taking the top place, but in general I greatly admire and am inspired by strong women. Whether it be friends, family members or activists, I strive to learn what I can from these women and their amazing resilience during tough situations. To me strong women are women who find a purpose in life and who work hard and break through boundaries to achieve that purpose, and I want to have that level of independence and self-certainty in my life someday.

Q. Do you have any advice for your peers?

A. We all go through tough times that we can’t control and no matter the scale of these adversities, it is extremely important to always take care of ourselves. When life feels chaotic sometimes the best you can do is focus on what you can control, keep moving forward and take care of your mental and emotional health first.