CJ: What are your hobbies and interests?
D: I enjoy playing lacrosse and volleyball, as well as scrapbooking, reading, writing, taking/editing pictures, and recording/editing videos. I love listening to music, but not all the hip-hop new stuff…but less popular artists. I love reading and writing, but like most kids, I hate when I am forced to! 
Wintertime is my favorite time of the year, but I also love summer and everything that comes with it. My friends and family are a big part of my life…without them, I would be a totally different person

CJ: Is there anything that enjoy that is a bit “different” than the norm?  (like: most everyone else likes hiphop and you’d rather listen to a Beethoven symphony)
D: Some of my hobbies and interests aren’t exactly the norm in my age group, but I enjoy them too much to change myself! I’ll admit it, I have sort of a camera addiction- I bring it everywhere! I take as many videos and pictures as I can in my memory card (and before my subjects get annoyed with me) then immediately upload them to my computer. I use different programs to edit my pictures with color, lighting, and extra features. I combine videos into short movies with titles, etc, and then I’ll burn them to DVDs and give them as gifts to my friends and family! This is just one reason that I call myself a procrastinator…

Generally, I try not to conform to what others are like in my daily life. I am not afraid to be who I am. Sometimes it is hard, like many Tao-Girls probably know, to stop yourself from changing what you look like or what you do to fit in. As I grew older I have become better at being proud of who I am.

CJ: Who are your role models and why?
D: Unfortunately, I can’t avoid the cliché answer to this question: my parents. Seeing how other people’s parents act makes me realize that I am extremely lucky to have such caring and supportive parents. They are by my side when I need help and try to assist me with any problems I have.

Another one of my role models is my fifth grade teacher Sara Iadarola. She taught me three subjects, but her English class is one that still affects me today. Not only did she teach me how to read and write more effectively and beautifully, she became a friend near to my heart still to this day. She would consistently write three-page long letters to me, including poems, quotes, and other bits and pieces of writing she thought I would like. She inspired me to keep a journal and other sorts of memory collections that I am so glad I began. No matter how far away she is in the country, she always, always calls me on my birthday. She was such an inspiration to me, and I know she affected others in the same way.

The last major role model I have is Karyn, a freshman in college who I played volleyball with when she was a senior in high school. Although I was on JV and she was on varsity, she affected me in so many ways. She is by far the nicest upperclassman I have ever met- and the happiest! Besides being an amazing outside hitter on the volleyball team, she helped me learn how to play volleyball and get better as I learned. Even off the court, she would say hi to me. I remember seeing her in the hallways and watching her face would light up when she saw me and holler “HI!” I hope to this day that I can be as good as an upperclassman as Karyn when I am a senior.

CJ: What makes you Tao and dynamic?
D: I am a Tao and dynamic because I am not one to hold grudges and let things affect me. I have friends who are not dynamic, and I can tell immediately because they get hung up on things for a long time. Because of this, they cannot effectively move on and start to become positive again! I would like to hope that others see the opposite in me, because I believe I do show that I am dynamic. When I happen to come across a roadblock, I try my hardest to “go with the flow.”

This photo is one that Danielle took and edited with her amazing graphic skills!