Rosa Morel is an exemplary senior who is involved in a large variety of clubs and extracurricular activities such as mock trial (which she won an award for “Best Witness”), South Bend Youth Symphony Orchestra (SBYSO), Fischoff chamber music, Arabic classes, Spanish Honor Society, National Honor Society, Drama Club and … She’s also one of the valedictorians! She is attending New York University next year and plans to major in Global Liberal Studies. Morel is also an IB Diploma Candidate.
In giving us a little sneak peak into her valedictorian speech Morel states, “I will definitely include a bit about how valuable the multitude of opportunities at Adams are, and how I’ve adored being able to explore so many different interests in a place that cultivates acceptance and encourages taking reasonable risks to achieve great results.”
Morel’s advice to underclassmen is “…to seize the opportunities that come your way whenever possible. Of course, sometimes, things don’t work out, and that’s okay! Flexibility is crucial, because some things will inevitably not fit into your schedule, or you might try something out and realize it’s not for you. Conversely, however, you might spontaneously decide to participate in something and it may just turn out to be an excellent decision or the thing that you find is your favorite. I think what’s crucial is not to limit yourself to one idea of who you are or who you can be, because you can always change and grow.”
When talking about the things that she will miss from high school, Morel stated that she will miss her favorite teachers most of all. Specifically, Mrs. Stanton who “has been such a wonderful mentor over these last few years” and Mrs. Ducharme, her show choir teacher. In terms of her lessons and growth throughout high school, Morel comments, “I have learned a lot about myself, particularly about my school work-life balance, which I have really struggled with. I find it very hard to toe the line between doing my best and completely depleting myself in order to achieve my goals, so that is something that I am still working on.”
Overall, Morel is excited to be going to NYU next year. Her thoughts on the future are, “I love going with the flow and seeing where things take me, so I may end up changing my mind and switching course somewhere along the way. No matter what, I am very excited and so grateful to JAHS for everything!”
