Class of 2011: Fencing Captain Appreciated the Diversity, Spirit of THS

 seniors will graduate on June 23. Patch will highlight students from the Class of 2011 periodically until their graduation.

Name: Shani Pleasants

College Attending in the Fall: Rutgers, Visual Arts

Extracurricular Activities: National Honors Society, Fencing Captain, Hospital Volunteer

1. What did you enjoy most about your senior year? I enjoyed hearing back from all the colleges. Once all the acceptance letters started coming in, I was happy.
2. What will you miss most about Teaneck High School? The people, mostly. And also the spirit, unity and diversity of the school.
3. What advice do you have for next year’s seniors? Study hard and don’t get lazy. Apply to every college that you could possibly go to. And, apply for as many scholarships as you can. There were a lot of students in school that never applied for scholarships – even some of my friends. I asked them if they needed the money, and they said yes. They said they didn’t apply because they didn’t think they would get it. I applied to a lot, and I got some scholarships that I didn’t expect to get. So, don’t think you won’t get any scholarships – it doesn’t hurt to try.
4. What are you looking forward to most about college? I’m looking forward to learning what I need to do to get a career and what steps I have to take to get there.
5. What experience helped you to get where you’re at in life right now? Joining the fencing team my freshman year. I was really shy and didn’t know anyone. Joining a team helped me to open up and motivated me to do better in school and in fencing. The upperclassmen also helped me with advice. This year, as part of the National Honors Society, I tutored freshmen. They had a lot of questions for me about applying to college and what they needed to do to succeed in school. I was able to answer their questions and help them feel less worried about the future.