A panel of teachers, guidance counselors and administrators at Hamilton High School West have selected six seniors as this year’s Academic Achievers. Each nominating student has written a testimonial. The Hamilton Post is proud to recognize the students this month.
Merna Abdel-Gleil, science
Finding out that I have been chosen to be honored as the Hamilton High West science Academic Achiever motivated me to start a career in something that takes so much effort but will be worth it in the near future. I have committed myself to major in general biology to start off my path to become a pediatrician.
For most high school seniors, choosing a career that will take place for a majority of one’s life is stressful, but I can’t say the same for myself. Entering high school, I favored my science and math classes over anything else. I love the hands-on aspect of learning and studying anything that involves the study of life, specifically anatomy. On top of that, I enjoy working and understanding the way children interact with each other and their own surroundings.
Children, in my opinion, are misunderstood, for their own innocence is golden, and they are the next generation. Pediatrics is one of the first and only things I can picture myself doing, where I can encounter both the scientific perspective and being able to care for a child’s health. I’m aware of the obstacles that will cross my way for choosing a difficult career path, but with the right attitude and self-confidence, I know that I will be successful and, most importantly, be happy.
The future sounds intimidating to me, but with my interest and content in continuing to study science in college, I also feel a sense of excitement and reassurance. Throughout high school, I held onto a quote from my favorite TV show, One Tree Hill, which mentions, “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, to stumble and fall, because most of the time, the greatest rewards come from doing the things that scare you the most. Who knows where life will take you? The road is long and in the end, the journey is the destination.”
I hope to take this with me into my next step of studying biology and to hold on to it dearly, where it highlights all the positives and overweighs any negatives.
Cassandra Angel, social studies
My love for history has definitely grown as I entered high school, but I truly have my middle school teachers to thank for it. I found I could always get myself lost in a textbook describing past events, whether they be something positive or negative. I’d spend days reading about the battles leading up to America’s independence and found myself engrossed by the discovery of new trading routes. I could never grow bored of it and always felt myself wanting to learn more.
My grandfather was a major advocate to this interest in history, due to the countless stories he would tell of our family and the things he had experienced over the many years of his life. In this day and age, you could often hear kids asking, “Why learn about the past if it already happened?” or “Most of them are already dead, why should it matter?” But that’s the part that interests me the most. History tends to repeat itself, so studying these patterns help you gain a new level of understanding of the life you are living.
I think the best part about social studies is there is an endless amount of information you could be learning about and different perspectives on just about every single topic. Taking practically every history course available is how I satisfy my passion for the subject. Through this topic, I have discovered my love of psychology, and I am determined to continue down a forensic psychology career path. My love for history has always kept me wanting to learn as much as I can, and I’m glad it could motivate me further as I make my way into adulthood.
Danielle Gioscio, English
Ever since I can remember, English has been my strong suit. My drive and determination to succeed stem from my English class because I never wanted to stop learning. Reading and writing are what I love about this subject.
My love for English started in elementary school. My teachers made reading enjoyable because they used big gestures and different voices for the characters. Once a week, the whole class and I went down to the library to pick a book for ourselves; having the freedom to choose any book I wanted led me to read more outside of class. We wrote many creative stories and essays, and while writing, my imagination could soar for hours. Each day I worked harder and harder to improve my skills.
Since elementary school, I have grown and matured. I used to read books with many pictures and very few chapters, but I have progressed to all different genres with hundreds of pages and numerous chapters. Reading those small books as a child was difficult for me, but the more I read, the more I loved my English class. I was not the best writer as a child either. It was hard for me to gather my thoughts into a logical sentence and write in the time allotted during a test. Through the years, I have learned to strengthen my vocabulary and use quotes in my essays to enhance the topic.
English changed my life. School was very hard for me, and I struggled. English helped me find my place. Some people were math or history geniuses, but I knew I had English. If I did not have my English class, I would not be reading advanced novels or writing strong essays. I would not be the Academic Achiever I was chosen to be.
Julia Martine, business
Prior to my freshman year of high school, I was extremely undecided on what career to pursue. While my friends and peers were discussing their potential futures as nurses, physical therapists, teachers and many others, I was confused as to which path to go down. Although I have always excelled in school, there wasn’t one topic that truly sparked my interest. English, art, science, mathematics and anything to do with blood were off the table for me.
My adrift mind finally latched onto something in my personal finance class sophomore year. I found myself genuinely excited and looking forward to this class. I wanted to learn more and decided to explore other business-related subjects, including accounting. I eagerly signed up the following year, and it took less than a month to realize accounting was the career for me.
When the opportunity came for me to attend Fordham University to play softball, the decision was a piece of cake, as the Gabelli School of Business has an outstanding program. In addition, it is located in the best city for any business-related major, New York City!
Little did I know then, my passion for business would ultimately stem from a required course and lead me to the school of my dreams. Now, as I prepare to begin my college education, I feel with certainty, this is where I belong and what I want to do for the rest of my life.
Kiera Meheski, fine arts
Fine arts has always been a big part of my life. When I was five years old, I started Irish dancing, and have continued dancing for over 12 years. This past May, I reached the highest competitive rank of Open Championship and, therefore, qualified to dance at nationals in New Orleans. It was a great experience.
I remember my first competition like it was yesterday. I was standing side-stage patiently waiting for my turn, with butterflies in my stomach. Then, the stage helper tapped my back indicating it was my turn. I walked out to center stage, trembling with fear, waiting for the music to start. When the music began to play, I stopped thinking about everything around me and just gave it my all.
Before I knew it, I had completed my first dance. After taking a final bow, I walked off stage. My mom and I waited for results, not thinking I’d do well since it was my first competition, but I ended up getting third place overall.
My friends, family and dance teachers have always been supportive of my love for performing and push me to do my best. During my time at Hamilton West, I participated in the talent show every year. I decided to branch out into other areas of the fine arts, including taking piano classes during my freshman and sophomore years, and was fortunate enough to be part of the ensemble cast in last year’s play, Cinderella. In senior year, I joined Hamilton West Marching Band’s Color Guard. I really enjoyed the camaraderie and made so many wonderful memories by being a part of the Pride of Mercer County.
Fine arts allows me to express myself in many different ways. I hope to incorporate it into my future career, possibly using my artistic talents to decorate cakes, or maybe even becoming a dance teacher. No matter where life takes me, fine arts will always be a part of my life.
Patrycja Ptak, math
I am currently enrolled in AP Calculus BC. It is definitely a very rigorous and grueling course, but I like the challenges it poses. Math has always been something I enjoyed and excelled in. After taking geometry in 8th grade, I knew I wanted a career that would in some way involve math.
I view the world in a numerical perspective because it makes it easier for me to solve problems and understand difficult situations. Math is an area in life where there is no gray, it’s all white and black. The answer is either right or wrong. There are no opinions, the answers are all objective. I do not not like the unknown, I like things that are certain and that is why I enjoy math so much.
My favorite kind of math is geometry, and in college, I plan to major in architecture. Architecture relies heavily on spatial form which is essentially how spaces impact humans. Geometry plays a key role in spatial form because different rooms and spaces are formed using a combination of shapes.
I am currently enrolled in an architecture class at school, and I love it. Learning how to piece differently shaped rooms together in order to create a functional and aesthetically pleasing floor plan is extremely satisfying for me. I plan to graduate college as a licensed architect and go on to open my own architecture firm. My desire is to build exquisite buildings composed of intricate and beautifully configured shapes that inspire and evoke in others the love I have for math.
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