Interview conducted by Grace T.
2:01pm: I find Natalie talking with friends outside of the Cougar Café and ask her if she has time for an interview. We make our way over to a table outside the student commons and have a seat. I click record.
Grace: Okay. So, first question is: What's something that you're passionate about?
Natalie: So one thing, I think school wise, I'm really passionate about is tennis, probably. I mean, outside of school and in school. We just finished the tennis season, and I love the tennis team. I love playing tennis. It's something I've been doing for a long time. So that's one thing. I also love animals. I think Mimi mentioned this in [her interview] also, but she volunteers at an animal shelter and so do I. The two of us go together. So that's another thing I'm passionate about. Also music; I love singing and guitar and piano.
Grace: Could you tell me how you got into those three things?
Natalie: Yeah. So, tennis I started at a really young age. Both my sister and I were just introduced to it through our parents [who] had just put us into lessons, and we kind of got trained by a family friend through that. Interestingly, my sister actually plays full-time tennis. She wants to go pro, so she does online school. So she's very dedicated to that, whereas, like…I love tennis. Not something I want to do with my life, but I love it. So that's how I got started with that. And then, for animals, I used to volunteer, before high school, at a farm for many years, and it was just something I loved doing. It was, like, horses, chickens, ducks, a bunch of stuff, and, like, dogs. And then this year, Mimi introduced me to this foundation in Richmond, and you had to be 16 [before] you could become a volunteer. And then once I turned 16, I did the whole orientation and I just got started with it. And I loved it. So I just try and go, like, every week now, any free time I have. And then for music, I guess I've always loved singing. I never actually took any vocal lessons apart from AVE in school, but that was it. But I just stuck to myself and doing that. But then I took piano lessons for about nine years…and then guitar is just, like, something my dad loves playing and he introduced me to it and I love playing it as well.
Grace: That's awesome. Okay, what's one of your favorite songs?
Natalie:
I like mixed genres. Specifically from my parents, I get a lot of music from, like, 80s and 90s rock, which I love. So there's, like, “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls, which—I love that song. Really great. And then there's also…if I’m feeling more, like, up and up and energy, I like…Drake is always a good one. But I love…I would say anything with guitar always puts me in a good mood.
Grace: Are you more of an acoustic or electric kind of person?
Natalie: I like acoustic for the most part, but I listen to a lot of rock as well, which is, like, all electric, which is great, but I don't know. Acoustic just, like, always [puts me] in a good mood.
Grace: What's one item on your bucket list?
Natalie: I really, really want to go skydiving. Like, when I turn 18, that's my goal. My parents both went and they're going to take me once I turn—like, on my birthday, hopefully. So I'm very excited for that. I can't wait.
Grace: That’s awesome! How have you changed during your time at College Prep?
Natalie: I think just being, I guess, more outgoing, I would say. I only came in knowing, like, two people, but I wasn't very close with them, and the rest of the school I didn't really know. And also because everyone came in here from, like, Oakland and Berkeley and from this side of the tunnel, and I grew up in the Walnut Creek area, so I didn't really know anyone coming in here. I think it was just a little difficult to introduce myself to others and get to know everyone, but I think since then I've gotten to know a lot of people in our grade and outside of [our] grade.
Grace: What's one of your favorite College Prep memories?
Natalie: I loved sophomore retreat when we did rafting. I think that was the most fun. First off, when everyone was in their raft and would go and swim and pull everyone else in, that was the best. I think our class has gotten a lot closer as a grade since then. But also, I do think the most recent spirit week was a lot of fun, because that was like…I don't know, I feel like our class has grown. Before we used to be so, like…I don't know, so split up and so divided…but everyone just kind of came together. It was a lot of fun also because [it was] also like our last hurrah, and it was like everyone as seniors all together.
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