Following her heart is what freshman Rachel Reiter does best.
“It sounds really cheesy, but I believe in doing what you’re passionate about and going with your gut instinct. A lot of my big decisions are made that way,” Reiter said.
Reiter has already made a lot of big decisions in just the beginning of her high school career, with choosing not to try out for the high school volleyball team, deciding to create her own club and joining newspaper.
Reiter has played volleyball for a long time outside of school and was planning on attending tryouts for the high school volleyball team. Just days before tryouts, she decided not to go out for the team.
“I really didn’t know what to do,” Reiter said. “I had been going to the workouts and camps the volleyball team was hosting, but I was already very stressed about starting school in general. I know that I love volleyball and just because I’m not playing my first year in high school doesn’t mean I don’t love it. I just had to keep telling myself that.”
Not only does Reiter have a good idea of what she wants to be once she grows up, but she is already taking steps to gain more experience in her future field. A lover of languages, Reiter plans to take Spanish all throughout high school and start a Japanese language club in hopes of becoming a translator one day.
“For the past few years, I’ve been taking Japanese lessons outside of school,” Reiter said. “I remember going to a Japanese restaurant when I was really little and just loving it since. My dream school would be a school in Hawaii because it’s the best for learning the Japanese language and becoming a translator.”
Reiter’s hobbies include drawing and writing, both of which she’s managed to fit into her class schedule. Taking observational drawing was a given when determining her classes, and after meeting some of the newspaper staff in the last school year, taking newspaper became a priority as well.
“I thought it was a good opportunity to improve my nonfiction writing skills,” Reiter said. “When some of the members came to my ELA class last year, they were all so nice and seemed like a family. I wanted to be a part of it if I could. I also convinced some of my friends to join. I’ve already been able to meet a lot of really cool people.”
