#1StudentNWI: Crown Point High School Life in the Spotlight: Nadia Paredes

#1StudentNWI: Crown Point High School Life in the Spotlight: Nadia Paredes

If there is a student at Crown Point High School that represents what it means to be a “good student,” it is senior Nadia Paredes. Paredes participates in many school clubs and fundraisers. Her kindness and drive to help has touched many lives across Northwest Indiana. 

Paredes’ grades and test scores are a result of her hard work and dedication to become the young woman she wants to be. Her hard work has reserved her a spot at Loyola University Chicago as an undergraduate for the upcoming 2020 fall semester. Paredes was accepted into the Institute of Environmental Sustainability at Loyola and plans to minor in philosophy and ethics.

“I have chosen this path to pursue because I have always cared about the environment,” Paredes said. “Taking care of where we live should be the number one priority” 

Paredes’ love for the environment and love for helping her community fueled her drive to further her education of environmental sustainability. 

“I plan to make a big change one day,” Paredes continued. “As of right now, the environment isn’t the main priority in the world as it should be.”

At Crown Point High School Paredes participates in several clubs. She was in the student council during her sophomore and junior years and the National Honor Society during junior and senior years. In Paredes’ eyes, the most valuable club has been Key Club, which she has been involved with since her sophomore year. 

“Key Club always meant the most to me because it involved giving back to the community I owe so much to,” Paredes said. Key Club gave her a chance to think bigger and give back to a whole community. “Key Club helped build me into a more compassionate person with leadership skills.” 

With approximately 150 students involved, Key Club is one of the most popular clubs at Crown Point High School. The club helps students build character and motivates them to give back to the community that has given them so much already. Key Club also provides community service hours to students who participate in fundraisers and events for the community. Throughout the year, they host Halloween and Christmas parties for the student body to attend, as well as a St. Baldrick’s event. This year, students went the extra mile by hosting a food drive for less fortunate families in the community. Students involved in Key Club walked around local neighborhoods and collected canned goods.

During Paredes’ sophomore year at Crown Point High School, she helped bring an organization called “The Thirst Project” to the school. The project helps bring awareness to the crisis of clean water in less developed countries around the world. This helped her look at the bigger picture of global crises and not just in her hometown. Paredes was able to think and dream big of the possibilities she had locally and globally. 

Paredes also played soccer for 12 years, from age five to age 17. She played for her local Crown Point club, FC Revolution, and Three Lions. She loves the game of soccer to this day and wouldn’t want to play any other sport. 

Paredes and many other students at Crown Point High School are only a fraction of the people who have devoted time to give back to their community. Many students and residents across Northwest Indiana come together every year to give to the less fortunate and help bring cheer to families who are in need. Paredes is well known among the student body for her efforts in giving back to the community. She is well respected by her peers and teachers because of her glowing kindness and motivation to help create change. Paredes has big dreams of changing the world for the better and hopes she inspires others with her hard work and determination.

“I hope to leave a mark on Crown Point High School and its environmental efforts forever,” Paredes says, “I want to inspire young students to make a change in their community and help others who need it the most.”