Julia is a dedicated athlete and an avid softball player. Outside of school, Julia plays on a travel softball team and is looking forward to attending nationals with her team this year. She has found inspiration in her coach who has taught her to, “feel the pressure, love the pressure,” a message that has resonated with the freshman athlete. The coronavirus has brought uncertainty to the future of Julia’s softball season, but she is remaining hopeful that she will have the opportunity to try out for North’s softball team this year.

During a typical school year, freshmen would embrace North’s traditions such as spirit week, homecoming, and football games for the first time. Many freshmen, including Julia Ruzzi, are missing that opportunity to embrace North’s culture. Transitioning to both high school and remote learning at the same time has proven to be a difficult task for her, as she says, “it has been hard adjusting, especially in a new school.”

Although online learning has made it difficult for freshmen to become familiar with school activities, Julia has become an enthusiastic member of North’s community through her participation in the Italian Club. When not completing assignments on the computer, she can be found playing with her dog Luca, watching Grey’s Anatomy, or baking brownies- all of which help her de-stress after school.

Although just a sophomore, Jenna Hill has already made a large impact on North’s athletic program. Jenna has been a member of North’s Varsity Softball team since the eighth grade and made the Varsity Field Hockey team this year. Jenna played both midfield and forward for the field hockey team this year. One of her biggest accomplishments was scoring the only goal for the Rams in their 1-1 tie against Albertus Magnus this season. Field Hockey has been the highlight of Jenna’s school year so far, as the season provided her with the sense of normalcy she has been craving since the beginning of the pandemic.

Jenna’s hard work is not limited to the field, as she is also a dedicated member of the mock trial team and hopes to pursue a career as a lawyer in the future. She hopes to balance her collegiate academics with athletics and continue to play field hockey in college.

In her free time, Jenna can be found listening to music or watching Criminal Minds. She especially enjoys listening to music by Machine Gun Kelly, citing that the artist’s music is meaningful and “the lyrics have a bigger message behind them."

Through the stress, frustration, and anxiety brought on by the pandemic, junior Maya Ascher found an opportunity to sharpen her running abilities. While most people were cooped up inside this summer, Maya utilized her newfound free time to go on long runs through New City in preparation for the cross country season. Thus, it came as no surprise to her teammates when Maya was named captain of the Varsity Cross Country team as a junior.

As a member of the cross country, winter track, and spring track teams, running plays a big part in Maya’s life. Through the pandemic, Maya has become even more grateful for her sport, claiming that her cross country season was, “the most normal part of this school year,” and her season provided her with a social and physical outlet for her stress.

Maya’s diligence extends beyond the track. In addition to being a three-season athlete, Maya is a member of Model Congress, the Italian Club, and the Sage Club.

Liam O'Buachalla’s interest in pursuing a career in science began in Mr. Morris’ AP Physics I class. Liam enjoyed the rush of solving a difficult problem correctly and enjoyed the combination of math, his favorite subject, with science. Liam explains, “physics was challenging, but it was interesting."

But a challenge isn’t something new to Liam, who boasts over a 4.0 GPA. A large workload combined with his jam-packed days are normal for Liam. He prides himself on his impressive resume that expands beyond his interests in math and science, as he has been a two-year President of the Poetry Club, a member of World of Difference, and a member of countless honors societies. Liam balances his rigorous academics with community service as a four-year member of the Congers-Valley Cottage Ambulance Youth Corps.

As a senior, Liam is now looking towards life after high school. He hopes to combine all of his academic interests into a chemical engineering degree from a prestigious university. After earning his master’s degree, Liam hopes to pursue a career in chemical engineering and possibly work for Tesla.