Q: WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF YOUR MEGAPHONE?
A: My megaphone is a representation of cheerleading which is a very important part in my high school career. It is my passion and how I spend a lot of my time. As a bonus it is also decorated with pictures of important people in my life.

The megaphone has been beside me at every high school game I have cheered at since freshman year. We decorate it differently every year so in a funny way it has shown my personality change and grow. Cheer has made me more outgoing and has taught me of course, responsibility like any other sport would, but also how to be an effective leader. Without cheer I would never be the same person as I am now. I give cheer credit for a lot of my positivity qualities.

Q: WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN YOUR LIFE THAT SETS YOU APART FROM YOUR PEERS?
A: I had a mental block with my tumbling which is a very unique problem and not many people know what it is. It is physically being able to perform a skill but having almost a panic attack before going to perform it which left me unable to tumble to my full potential for almost 3 years. It would affect me and be in my thoughts not only when I had to tumble but all the time. It forced me to learn more about myself and how to control and understand my emotions. With doing that I finally was able to get over it!

Q: DO YOU HAVE ANY LEADERSHIP ROLES IN THE SCHOOL? HOW HAVE THEY IMPACTED YOU?
A: I am Vice President of Italian Honor Society and Captain of the Varsity Cheer team. Having a leadership role on the cheer team has helped me to better understand my leadership style and how to become a more effective leader. With becoming a leader, I had to find a healthy balance of being everyone’s best friend and also being respected which is something I’ve never had to do before. It brought me out of my comfort zone but I’m growing and learning from it. It’s a big responsibility and privilege representing such an amazing team so I want to continue to grow and be the best I can be for them.

Q: WHAT TYPES OF ACTIVITIES/ SPORTS/ EXTRACURRICULARS DO YOU PARTICIPATE IN?
A: Cheerleading, IHS, I’ve been in NHS and video newsmakers as an anchor as well.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE?
A: I am going to major in Social Work at either Rutgers or Monmouth and I will be continuing my cheer career. As a job I am not sure what exactly I want to do but I am interested in working with people and helping them.

Q: IF MONEY WERE NOT A CONCERN, WHAT WOULD YOUR FUTURE BE LIKE?
A: I do not think my plan would change too much. My main goal is to help people and I feel as though what I want to do achieves that and I wouldn’t want to live differently.

Q: HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR ROLE IN THE WORLD?
A: The world is a very big place so for now at least my role is making as much of a positive impact as I can on everyone that I encounter on a daily basis.

Q: HOW HAS HAVING A LEADERSHIP ROLE ON THE CHEER TEAM AFFECTED YOU?
A: Having a leadership role on the cheer team has helped me to better understand my leadership style and how to become a more effective leader. With becoming a leader, I had to find a healthy balance of being everyone’s best friend and also being respected which is something I’ve never had to do before. It brought me out of my comfort zone but I’m growing and learning from it. It’s a big responsibility and privilege representing such an amazing team so I want to continue to grow and be the best I can be for them.

Q: WHAT HAS BEEN A KEY FACTOR FOR MAKING YOUR DECISION OF A COLLEGE MAJOR? ALSO, WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO CONTINUE CHEER AFTER HIGH SCHOOL?
A: My interest to major in social work started in Mr. Wildermuth’s Psychology class. I’ve been in Mr. Wildermuths class for 3 years and I love every second of it. After realizing how much I loved the class, I explored jobs and majors around Psych, and social work seemed like exactly what I wanted. I find so much fulfillment in helping others I can’t see myself doing anything else. As for cheer, I have never really had a doubt in my mind about whether I should cheer in college or not. I always knew that I would continue to cheer for as long as I possibly could. I love the roles that they have in the school and the community. They aren’t only cheerleaders but they are role models as well.