Kristin Schwab

Not only am I a dedicated student, but spending time with my family and friends and pursuing extracurricular activities are also very important to me. Here's a glimpse into how I choose to spend my time outside of the classroom.

I joined the Somerset Valley YMCA competitive swim team when I was eight years old. Throughout the entire year, I put in about 16 hours of training every week in order to swim fast at meets and accomplish my goals. This year my coaches chose me to be captain.

My high school swim team has become a second family to me. The sport is all about working hard for one another in order to accomplish our goals. We are hoping to be back-to-back NJ state champions in February. I was voted captain by my teammates this year.

Every Thursday after school, we contribute to our community by using our artistic talents. We paint murals, help organize our district's annual art show, paint a trailer to send to Africa full of supplies, and raise money for senior scholarships. I am President of this society.

This is my sixth year studying Italian and I am proud to be Vice President of the Italian Honor Society. We offer tutoring to Italian students, raise money for local and international causes, and help spread an appreciation of Italian culture.

Over the summer, I was offered the opportunity to work in a Rutgers Biochemistry lab with one of my friends. The goal was to conduct a research project on DNA repair. It relates to curing various diseases such as melanoma. We submitted an 18-page report to the competition.

Every summer my family and I take day trips down the Jersey Shore. Since my sisters and I are all swimmers, we spend hours in the water. Nothing beats reading a good book under the sun and stopping for ice cream on our way home. My goal is to become a better surfer.

Even though the Giants are out of the playoffs, I still enjoyed watching them play this year. I am looking forward to going to the training camp for the third time this August. Go G Men!