Nikki Antonelli: The diligent lacrosse player
One way or another, people have heard of junior AHS student Nikki Anotenelli. She is known for her comical personality, contagious laugh, affection towards people, and hard work ethic.
Although many know her as a student and resident in Aurora, she is originally from someplace else. Nikki states, “I was born in Mayfield Ohio.” When asked why she moved to Aurora and decided to attend this school, Nikki replied, “I moved to Aurora twice actually once in 2nd grade when my parents first got divorced, but I still went to Mayfield schools. In the middle of my 7th-grade year, my mom said we were moving back to help out my grandma. My mom has had this house in Aurora since the 1980's. It has been passed down in our family from my great-grandparents.”
Nikki is currently in her third year of high school here at Aurora where she is taking a variety of classes. When asked how her classes are, she revealed, “My classes this year are pretty easy, and it's tiring some days, I would say Spanish is the hardest for this year, I'm in Spanish 3.” Nikki explains that her classes are relatively easy; however, Spanish never fails to be a challenging study for her. Nikki is in year three of her Spanish class and looks to step down in the upcoming school year to focus on other subjects.
Nikki is a part of the freshly equipped Girls Lacrosse Team. This team was just instituted last year at the Aurora High School, hosting a girls and boys team. This year they are splitting up the girl's team into a JV and Varsity team. When asked about her experience and role on the team, Nikki exclaimed, “I love lacrosse so much. My friend Kennady made me come to practices every day, she came to my house and dragged me into going each day. If she hadn't done that it would have made me so upset because I found a passion for the sport. I play midfield, which is a person who plays each position. Last year we had enough players to make a team of 12 girls so we were playing the whole game straight. Even though some days it was hard and I felt like giving up, our team always had so much spirit and was happy no matter what. My coach is amazing and we still talk to her every day. She did a lot for us and stayed with us. She is an amazing [and] kind person [who] kept our team together.” Overall, Nikki enjoyed her time on the Lacrosse team and the family she created along the way.
When asked if she could see herself playing lacrosse in the future, she mentioned, “The coach says she sees me doing it in college because I'm quick and fast, and have a good power shot. but I know I have so much more to work on and skills to learn.”
Nikki is a very hard worker; when she is not at school, she is working or doing other projects. Nikki reported,
“Outside of school I work 3-4 days a week between 18-25 hours each week, sometimes more,” and “I work at a gym and everyone is so nice, the front desk people, the salon people, the food court people, the personal trainers, the cleaners, they are all so amazing.” You can imagine Nikki has a good work ethic whether it be in school, at her place of work, or in other extracurricular activities.
To further elaborate on Nikki’s diligence and dedication in her everyday activities, she added, “I also do charity work around Aurora.” Nikki is a part of the Aurora Service learning class at the high school where she repeatedly volunteers in her community.
In the same fashion, Nikki is a part of the many clubs offered here at Aurora High School including “ABC, Environment, Interact, Stop the Hate.” Nikki hopes to be an active and viable member of these groups.
In the final analysis, Nikki reported her future plans and endeavors: “[Where] I see myself in the future. This is hard because I have no clue. I know I want to get into financing and sales; I feel like I would be very good at it, and I love just numbers and talking to people. I want to go to Ohio State or Cincinnati. After college I want to get a job with my cousins down in New York, they do financing on Wall Street.” Nikki obviously has some specific goals and aspirations for her future education and career.
In Nikki’s self-assertive manner, she declares, “I know for a fact I will make something of myself and help support myself [in] my [day-to-day life].” As Nikki is slowly transitioning into her final year of high school, she will carry her prominent traits of confidence, diligence, playfulness, and affection towards others. She hopes you all will do the same.
By: Anna Grummitt