Fall is one of my favorite times of the year for many reasons, some of which include football season, the Dixon Nutcracker, and the school-year revival of Brookfield East Best Buddies.
As a 4 year member and captain of my dance team, I really enjoy the atmosphere of Friday Night Lights: cheering from the sidelines, performing at halftime, and interacting with the student section. As fun as football games are, my team is also putting together our competitive routines for this upcoming winter season. This past year, I was nominated by the league that we dance for as an “All Star” for my showmanship and leadership. It was an amazing honor, and I have my whole team to thank.
Continuing with the dance theme, I’m also involved in the Dixon Elementary School production of the Nutcracker; we just had auditions this past week, and I’m looking forward to choreograph and get close with some more dancers. It really made my day at the auditions when some of the kids remembered me as Ms. Nina from last year.
Additionally, I’m the president of the Brookfield East Best Buddies chapter, and I’ve never been more excited for a new year. Best Buddies is a club dedicated to fostering genuine friendships with individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. I was a member of the board last year as Vice President, and I helped to create some new traditions for our club. My favorite of which, coming up in a few weeks, is the zoo trip. Last year, we went in the rain, but the zoo was such a big hit we had to bring it back- and we’re hoping for better weather this year. We just had our first meeting, and roughly 150 students showed, which is the most I’ve ever seen in my 4-year tenure.
My favorite season, fall, is also representative of the new school year, in which I’m keeping up the class rigor of previous years. I have a 4.3 GPA and I’m continuing to take advanced classes this year to challenge myself. My grades have earned me a spot on National and Spanish Honors Society, but, at the crux of it all, I just genuinely enjoy learning.
A new reason that I’m coming to appreciate fall is college applications. Wherever I go, I plan to major in English, minor in Spanish, and someday go on to med school (which sounds like a convoluted plan, but, as I mentioned before, I love to learn and I want to pick up as much knowledge as possible on the way).
I’d like to thank my school community at Brookfield East for opening every door for me, my friends who’ve borne witness to everything from my mom packing my favorite lunch to acing a particularly taxing test, and my family, for supporting me every step of the way.