Around The Islands
Mini Profile
Nathaniel Salazer:
A Peep Leader
by Mike Yoshiura
"Being involved is what makes school fun," said Nathaniel Salazar, a senior at Maui High School.
Salazar has accumulated an impressive list of awards and accolades over the course of his four years as a Saber. Even after all of his accomplishments, he still manages to keep his feet planted firmly to the ground.
A native of Kahului, Salazar is a member of the Interact, Key, and French Clubs. And he's the president of the National Honor Society (NHS), secretary for the Tech Club, and vice president for the Math League. For the last three years running, the 17-year-old has been a member of the winning Science Bowl team that went on to represent Maui High School at the national level. And surprisingly, he still manages to find the time to suit up for the varsity tennis team.
We recently sat down with Nathaniel to find out what makes him a leader…
- Q. How is it possible for a high school student to have a cumulative 4.18 GPA, when a 4.0 is already an A average?
- A. "Since junior year, I've been in AP (Advanced Placement) classes, and they are worth five credits. In a way, we are graded on a wider scale, which is why I have a higher average than students who aren't taking AP classes."
- Q. What are your plans for college?
- A. "I want to go to the University of Michigan because it's one of the top ranked engineering schools. My strengths are math and science, and engineering plays into my strengths. I'm excited about seeing snow, and being in a different atmosphere."
- Q. What do you do to take your mind off of school?
- A. "From a whole day of thinking and being busy, I need time to myself. I usually don't start my homework till 7 p.m. I try to come home and give my brain a rest for a couple of hours. I like watching the comedy block on TBS because it's mindless humor, and I can get caught up in something that doesn't require much thought."
- Q. When did you really step forward to earn the reputation as a leader?
- A. "It's only this year that I had the chance to be a leader. I try to take advantage of these kinds of opportunities. For NHS, I wanted to prove to people that I was a leader. This was my first year as president and I felt like I needed to prove that I belonged in that position. Last year, we got a lot of complaints about the club, and I wanted to change that when I became president. I really wanted to make my mark. I guess you need to have the desire to stand by through all the good and the bad."
Student Activities Coordinator, Glenda Joyo, describes Nathaniel as a hardworking, busy, fun loving, and fundamentally normal individual.
