Imagine working 16-plus hours a week, playing two varsity sports, being involved in (and running) various clubs and organizations, having a very active social life, all while maintaining an impressive GPA. Many are exhausted just thinking about it, but Hawthorne High School senior Natalie Tousignant has managed this reality with poise and grace.
Tousignant has always valued her education and worked hard to get to where she is today. Her work ethic and drive is clearly shown in her academic schedule and standing. Tousignant chose to challenge herself intellectually during her final year at HHS, taking four AP courses and maintaining a GPA that puts her in the top percentage of her graduating class.
In addition, Tousignant has accomplished many achievements apart from academics over the past four years of high school. Tousignant has applied herself to various clubs and honor societies within HHS, including the Italian Club, Italian Honor Society, National Honor Society, Peer Leaders, and Creative Writing Club. To add to Tousignant’s already overflowing schedule, she took lead roles in many of these. Tousignant served as president of the Italian Club, where she helped run events and fundraisers such as Carnivale, and she served as vice-president of the Italian Honor Society, where she attended and helped run meetings.
However, one club that held a deep, personal interest to Tousignant was the Creative Writing Club. Here, she was able to engage her passion for reading, writing, and editing, a field she wants to pursue outside of academia. In the Creative Writing Club, Tousignant was able to review and write creative works for and with the club. Tousignant’s poetry is featured in the 2013-2014 HHS publication, The Empyrean.
In addition to feeding her passion for writing and editing in the Creative Writing Club, Tousignant also works part-time for the Hawthorne Press. Here, she gets to hone-up her editing skills as she proofreads articles before they are sent out for publication.
In the fall, Tousignant will be attending Manhattan College where she hopes to major in editing and publishing. On attending college, Tousignant says, “I’m excited to be moving to Manhattan College next year; I can’t wait to live on the campus.”
To add to her already hefty academic and extracurricular schedule, Tousignant also played varsity soccer and softball at HHS, worked some weekdays and most weekends at Pizzaiolo, a restaurant in Midland Park, and maintained close friendships and a lively social life.
Tousignant also revealed she has a hidden talent – handling chopsticks the “correct way.” She says, “I mean if there is a ‘righter way’ to hold them, [I hold them that way]; unlike some people, who [give up and chose to use a] spoon or fork.”
Clearly, Tousignant is a talented, multitasking student who has achieved much over her last four years at HHS, and there is no doubt that she will continue to achieve and accomplish great things in her future.