St. Joseph High School student Paige Beal said she always wants to seize her moment and be present in life.
“For me, I see so many people on electronics these days; some people close to me spend [a lot] of time on their electronics, and they regret it, and they say they wished they experienced life more,” Beal said. “I don’t want to make the same mistake. I try to be in everything and anything I possibly can.”
The high school junior is on her school’s volleyball, cross country, track, and stunts—similar to cheerleading—teams, she said. She’s part of the elected assistant student body to represent her fellow classmates, works as an ambassador for the St. Joe’s Knights to go to elementary schools and answer questions about high school, and started a job as a swimming instructor.
Throughout all of these activities, Beal’s maintained a 4.14 cumulative GPA while taking Advanced Placement (AP) level classes. After all her hard work, Beal earned a spot in the National Society of High School Scholars, an organization that recognizes top high school students who’ve demonstrated leadership, scholarship, and community commitment, and connects them to resources to excel in college and their careers.
To become a member, students have to be nominated by a teacher or faculty member, maintain a 3.5 cumulative GPA or higher, and receive 1280 on the PSAT. Beal’s AP European History teacher—who taught one of the toughest classes Beal took—was the one who submitted a nomination letter and supported her throughout the process, she said.
“I feel like getting this recognition is a motivation and drive toward keeping it up. Once I got the letter, I felt honored. Especially since the teacher that sent it was from AP European History,” Beal said. “She was there, having my back and believing in me to do special things in life. It gave me a boost of motivation.”
As a member, Beal can participate in several webinar opportunities, is offered travel experiences both outside and inside the U.S., and can network with other students across the globe, she said.
“It not only connects me to different colleges but different cultures. For example there’s other volunteer opportunities, [like] one in Peru to help out the animals there for a week,” Beal said.
She recently participated in a webinar where they discussed college essay tips and strategies via Zoom, and she said she wants to apply for a trip to Sweden to tour different colleges. Although she hasn’t narrowed down a specific career path, Beal said she wants to study forensics or something else in the scientific field.
“I want to make sure I keep up and don’t lose my motivation. Everybody says I might crash and burn at some point, but it hasn’t happened yet,” she said.
Throughout all of this, Beal hopes to make her parents proud and take all of the opportunities they didn’t get growing up, Beal said.
“My mom and dad didn’t grow up with great childhoods. They said, ‘I really want you to have a good childhood and get all of the things you want to have,’” she said. “I want to be able to do that, to live the life they maybe wanted and not squander what they have given me.”
Highlight
• A mile of the Avenue of Flags in Buellton will be car-free on April 30, 2023, as part of the first Open Streets event for the greater Santa Ynez Valley. Open Streets events promote safe, temporary, car-free spaces on roads and is a part of a movement to open more streets throughout the U.S. and Canada. The Santa Ynez Valley Healthy Eating Active Living Coalition will host the event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will kick off CycleMAYnia in Santa Barbara County—a celebration that reaches thousands of cyclists and community members throughout May.
• Savie Health, a Lompoc-based free health clinic for people without insurance, will be holding its inaugural Holiday Hope Luncheon on Nov. 30 at the Hilton Garden Inn (1201 N. H St.) from noon to 1 p.m. Although it’s a free event, guests are asked to donate at a level that is meaningful to them, and an RSVP is required. The luncheon will feature a Mexican buffet, holiday decor, and giveaways, and will raise funds needed for Savie to serve more community members in the greater Lompoc area. Founder Ahmad Nooristani will also speak about his vision in opening the health clinic and what it offers. For more information, visit saviehealth.org.
Staff Writer Taylor O’Connor wrote this week’s Spotlight. She can be reached at toconnor@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Nov 3-9, 2022.
