Grade: 12

Family members: Mark Altemose (father), Jenniefer Altemose (mother), Meghan Altemose (sister – ninth grade), Abby Altemose (sister – seventh grade)

Favorite subject: English is my favorite subject because I enjoy discussing opinions about books and their authors.

Activities: I have taken classical ballet for 14 years, as well as other types of dance. I have performed in the Nutcracker for 11 years as well as other ballets. I have taken private voice lessons for six years. I perform in my school's musicals and received a Freddy nomination for best supporting actress last year as Kim in "Bye Bye Birdie." I am vice president of the high school choir, a member of Challenge Choir and have participated in County, District and Regional Chorus. I am on the debate team and am president of the National Honor Society. I am also a Lehigh University High School Scholar and am currently taking a class at Lehigh in environmental science.

Next steps: I am planning to attend a four-year college and double major in theater and English or biology. I also plan to attend graduate school.

Career Goals: I have so many interests that I can't say for certain what my career goals would be. I think I would be happiest in a job that includes intellect and the arts. I love performing but also believe I could be happy in publishing or the medical field.

Heroes: One of my heroes is J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series. A large part of my childhood was shaped by her books, instilling in me what I believe will be a lifelong love of reading. She has brought the love of reading to millions of children and I can't imagine a more profound legacy. She also achieved so much having come from a difficult past and having overcome many hardships.

Hobbies: I love to sing, act and dance. I enjoy any type of theater, especially ballet and musicals. I also love reading and spending time with my friends and family.

Current job(s): I am beginning a job at Moravian Academy teaching an afterschool workshop in dance and creative movement to kindergartners, and I'm really looking forward to it.

Volunteer/community work: As president of National Honor Society, I am involved in activities such as the Saucon Valley food drive, the SV book drive/literacy week and the SV blood drive. I am actively involved as the team dance and song leader for SV Mini-thon, which raises money for pediatric cancer. I am also an organizer of the SV Relay for Life, which raises money for cancer research and assisted with Special Olympics. Through my dancing at Pennsylvania Youth Ballet I have performed annually for 4,000 students in discounted school performances, assisted with a Girl Scout performing arts badge program, performed for community organizations such as Bethlehem Historic Homes and fundraised for the Ballet Guild of the Lehigh Valley.

Likes: I like anything from the 1920s (especially literature), music, dance, theater, Harry Potter, chocolate Haagen Dazs ice cream and my two cats.

Dislikes: I dislike people who are intolerant, grasshoppers, and cheese.

Greatest accomplishment (so far): My greatest accomplishment would have to be that I've developed the ability to maintain so many different activities, jobs and interests at the same time. I have found my biggest problems are in not having enough time to do everything I want to do, so time management skills are very important to me.

Advice for peers: Find something you love to do so much that it doesn't feel like work, and then try to do that for the rest of your life. Don't try to be like everyone else – being unique is so much more interesting.

Julia Swan coordinates student profiles for the Bethlehem Press.

Student profile subjects are selected by faculty and administration at the individual schools.