Everyone should wake up in the morning and be grateful to be alive. Senior Rachel Bellafiore makes this a priority. When she and her twin James Bellafiore, also a senior at HHS, were being born, Rachel had her mother’s umbilical cord knotted around her neck three times. This resulted in their mother having a Cesarean or a C-section and both Jimmy and Rachel were born two months premature. If she hadn’t decided to give birth to them prematurely, Rachel would not be here today. That alone has motivated Rachel to live life to the fullest and to try her hardest to achieve her goals.

Rachel plans to major in chemistry when she attends Rowan University in the fall. “I chose Rowan because it’s close to home and it has the major I want to study,” Bellafiore said. The main reason she became interested in chemistry is because she likes looking at the equations and being able to find a solution to them. She’s the kind of person who dislikes not being able to know the answer and feels unsatisfied if she doesn’t.

Rachel was involved in most of our school’s productions, whether it was as a crew member or part of the cast. She enjoyed it because she was able to make new friends and countless memories. She also was part of the band as a member of the color guard and then a manager her senior year.  Besides extra-curricular activities she has a job at AA Moving Company where she works 5 days a week. She doesn’t do the physical labor, but she does do the paperwork that goes along with it.

Whatever Rachel ends up doing with her life I know for a fact she will be successful. She will miss HHS and everyone in it, mainly the teachers. If it wasn’t for them pushing her to be her best self, she wouldn’t be where she is today.