Sophomore Jacqueline Egelfeld, an amazing example of someone who represents fidelity, persistence and sincerity, is someone who deserves more recognition for her character. As a sophomore, she has already accomplished a great deal of things. For instance, as a child her mother taught her how to sign. Since then, she has taught herself how to speak four other languages excluding English.

“I have a love for languages. I am fluent in sign language and conversational in French, Spanish, and German. I also speak a little bit of Hebrew,” said Jacqueline.

With regards to this, Jacqueline is going to take the position of president for the sign language club during the 2015-2016 school year.

Adding on to the list of notable facts about the sophomore, Jacqueline has been a vegan since the 7th grade. She was inspired to convert to a different lifestyle by her neighbor who is now a close friend and currently works with Jacqueline in FVA (Florida Voices for Animals).

“We organize vegan events and volunteer at VegFest together. She is a family friend, basically an aunt to me,” said Jacqueline.

Egelfeld is also an exceptional student academically and is always eager to learn. She dedicates herself to her studies and puts full effort into understanding what she is being taught.

“Jacqueline is a wonderful student. She is devoted to know the material and is modest about her hard work in school. She is also someone who is delighted to help her peers,” said AP World History teacher Mr. Leist.

Despite her many hours dedicated to learning, Jacqueline also manages to volunteer in her free time with the Lutheran Church, without affiliation. Additionally, she is looking into volunteering at St. Joseph’s Hospital or the VA.

“The church and I will go down to a street and donate clothing, feed the people there and communicate with them. Homeless people and their lives can be very lonely. A lot of people are very passive toward the situation of poverty and can be very antagonistic, blaming them for being poor,” said Egelfeld.

As well as giving back to the community in her free time, Jacqueline has a strong passion for reading and writing. She has written three personal novels, along with a handful of poems.

“My first love was with writing. I have written three books so far, but I can’t say how good they are. I also read a lot. I’m a voracious reader and I love Nabokov. He has a very unique mind. It’s funny because he writes conventional stories in an unconventional manner,” said the sophomore.

Another activity Jacqueline enjoys in her leisure is dancing. Although Egelfeld enjoys multiple genres of dance, she prefers swing dancing.

“Swing dancing is kind of a 1930’s/1940’s type of dance. It’s a partner dance so I need my dad to do it. That also broadened into salsa dancing, which I can do alone, and a lot of regional dances,” said Jacqueline.

In regards to the future, Jacqueline aspires to have a job that incorporates all the different aspects of what she has dreamed of being since she was a child.

“I want to incorporate medicine and public health together to kind of work as a public health educator and a general practitioner. I particularly want to work with disenfranchised groups; people in areas with low income. Working with the homeless a lot, I realized that a lot of poverty comes from issues of disabilities of injuries,” said Jacqueline.

When asked to give high school advice for students, she responded, “My experience has been a lot different than others. I’ve had some great privileges.  I have really great parents, and I’ve made a lot of friends this year. My best advice is to be nice to people and realize the importance of having relationships with someone. Let the world influence you. Let other people influence you just as long as you stick with who you are.”

“Jacqueline has a brilliant mind, an extraordinary personality, an amazing sense of compassion and a big heart. I’m so fortunate to have many classes with her and to have become her friend”, said friend Emily Dabrowski, 10.

FSA QUESTIONS:

1. What is the main idea of this article?
2. Describe the article in one sentence.
3. What is the meaning of the word Leisure?
4. Use Leisure in a sentence.
5. Select a sentence from the article that best supports the main idea.