Daniela Gerardi
Daniela Gerardi will be attending American University in Washington D.C. She plans to become a foreign service officer. She is a member of the Marching Band, National Honor Society, Rho Kappa, Key Club and is the President of the National Spanish Honor Society.
What has been your favorite memory at Linganore?
“I’m in the marching band. Walking back up from the football field into the band room during practices or games. That collection of all those memories. It was just so special. It made me feel like I was a part of something. I was surrounded by people I love and care about.”
What are you going to miss most after graduating?
“I’m going to miss my friends. I will not miss the workload, but the people I’ve built good relationships with is going to be hard to leave behind.”
Do you feel pressure to have your future be decided already?
“Yes, I am seventeen years old. Why on earth am I needing to decide how much debt I’m going to have for the rest of my life. There is a lot of pressure to know what you want to do and know when certain things are going to happen. There is this huge pressure of needing to know what you want to do, but we’re still kids. I think it’s become too strict and nitpicky.”
What is the most challenging task as a senior?
“Battling my senioritis. It’s a very infectious disease. There is this feeling of, ‘oh, I’m going to be out of here in a few months,’ and I think that having more patience to get through those month and just trying to power through.”
What advice do you have for incoming freshmen?
“Let yourself breathe. As a freshman I was so bad at giving myself a break. I would be thinking about school and extracurriculars 24/7. Just calm down for a second and let yourself take a breath. We are all kids and you don’t have to feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. You really don’t. Just relax a bit more and enjoy it. “
Where do you imagine yourself 10 years from now?
“Hopefully I will be in a city and have made some progress in reaching my career. I’m hoping to go into diplomacy. Just doing something where I feel like I am truly making a difference. I don’t want to wake up one day and think about how useless my career was. I also want to travel and make new relationships.”
What was the most meaningful assignment a teacher ever had you do?
“My favorite class was AP Psychology, there was this one assignment during our child development unit. I remember having to look back on my childhood and it made me so grateful for my parents. After that, I’ve really made and effort to thank my mom and show how apperceive I am of them both. It made me appreciae who I am as a person.”
When you look back on this school in later years, what will you remember most?
“I think I will remember how happy I was. I think I’ll look back on how many lives I’ve touched through the experiences this school gave me, such as community service, leadership, and friendships in general. Linganore is a good school that provides amazing opportunities. I was able to really enjoy myself.”