Grade: Incoming senior

Family members: Mom, Linda VanVliet; stepdad, Ryan Hartnett; brother, Devan VanVliet

Favorite subject: My favorite subject is biology. The different systems of life and the evolution of organisms fascinate me.

Activities: Debate team questioner, Model United Nations, junior officer of the National Honors Society, french horn in concert band, medical science club, STEM Club

Next steps: I plan to attend college to study biochemistry.

Career goals: I aspire to be a geneticist and research neuromuscular diseases.

Heroes: My hero is my mom, because she is the strongest woman I know. She successfully completed nursing school at DeSales University while being a single mother and taking care of my grandmother, who was battling breast cancer. She exemplifies the true qualities of a hero.

Hobbies: I play the french horn in my school’s concert band, and I participate in the Philadelphia Power Play.

Volunteer/community work: I volunteer at the Muscular Dystrophy Association by giving speeches, holding a charity event at my high school called Change for Change, and spread awareness about neuromuscular diseases. I was also elected as a junior officer for the National Honors Society.

Likes: I enjoy participating in a lot of clubs and spending time with friends.

Dislikes: I dislike math, since I have always had to study more for that subject in order to maintain good grades.

Greatest accomplishment (so far): My greatest accomplishment so far was when I hosted Saucon Valley’s first Green Out Football Game to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The event also featured a weeklong event called the “Change for Change.” These events raised a total of about $2,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Advice for peers: Pursue your dreams at all costs. Any barrier will soon become obsolete if you truly want to pursue your goals. Even as a student with muscular dystrophy, I have been able to successfully pursue my goals thus far, and I have maintained good grades while participating in a variety of clubs and volunteer work. You will be successful if you work hard enough.

Julia Swan coordinates student profiles for the Bethlehem Press. Student profile subjects are selected by faculty and administration at the individual schools.