Grade: 12

Family members: I live with my two younger sisters (Isabelle, age 9; and Lydia, age 15) and my parents, Susan and Ronald.

Activities: Debate Team (captain); Science Olympiad (captain); FHS Theater Company set crew (Construction Captain); Math Team member of National Honors Society

Career goals: I plan to go to college and study mathematics and political science. I would eventually like to go to law school and become a defense attorney for youth offenders.

Heroes: My biggest hero is Custard the Dragon from the old Ogden Nash poem, because even though he’s skittish and shy, he knows to do what is necessary to protect himself and to help those he cares about. My second hero is Dirk Gently from the Douglas Adams series of the same name. Though he has no personal stake in the outcomes of his investigations, he sees them through out of sheer curiosity and in a perpetually excited way which I try to emulate in my life.

Hobbies: Jewelry making; hiking and biking; juggling; and reading (especially science fiction)

Current job: Lifeguard at Bethlehem Township Community Center

Volunteer work: Volunteer with Morning Star Rotary Club of Bethlehem; Active Listener on 7cupsoftea.com (a peer support website)

Likes: Cats, fantasy novels, math, and the planet Mercury

Dislikes: Sudoku, iced coffee, temperatures above 80, and the poetry of Andrew Marvell

Greatest accomplishment (so far): A couple of years ago my youngest sister presented me with a “My Hero Award” that she made for a school project. Out of all the papers I’ve hung on my bedroom walls over the years, that’s the only one that I keep going back to whenever I’m having a rough day. I aspire every day to be worthy of Isabelle’s commendation the way I was when she first handed the award to me.

Advice for peers: Ask for help before you’re sure that you need it.

Julia Swan coordinates student profiles for the Bethlehem Press.

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