School: Hammond High School
Hometown: Columbia
Age: 17
Nicole, a senior, has been on the honor roll for her high school career at Hammond. She has taken English, biology, chemistry, world history, PASCAL and algebra honors courses. She is in the top 10 percent of her class with a 3.67 grade point average.
As a student athlete, Nicole has participated in junior varsity lacrosse and soccer and was a swim team member with the Kings Contrivance summer swim team.
As a sophomore, Nicole received a varsity lacrosse letter and was on the JV soccer team. She runs middle distance and throws shot put this year and is on the varsity lacrosse team.
At Hammond, she was a Student Government Association representative as a freshman, chairwoman for Prom Promise and chairwoman of the freshman homecoming float committee and participated in the Maryland Student Science Seminar.
As a sophomore, she was on the Principal's Honor Roll, National Honor Society, class president, Sophomore Class Council and a member of the Spanish Club.
Nicole also became a freshman orientation guide, participated in the sophomore float homecoming committee and was a Maryland Legislative Day Delegate.
In her junior year, she participated in the National Honor Society, Junior Class Council, Spanish Club and Student's Helping Other People and was a freshman orientation guide.
This year she is active in the National Honor Society, Student Government, Class Council and homecoming activities.
She spent four weeks in Sydney, Australia, through a foreign exchange program as a sophomore. As a freshman, Nicole was a Girl Scout National Selectee for a three-week exchange program in Kawasaki, Japan.
Nicole is an active member of the Girl Scouts of America. She has received several leadership awards from the organization and has volunteered for day camps and organized a "Thinking Day" program for Junior Girl Scouts. She has also been a camp counselor.
Awards and achievements: The Hugh O'Brien Leadership Award, Youth and Government Delegate, and a Gold Award, the highest honor for Girl Scouts, the equivalent of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts.
Other volunteer efforts and activities: Meals on Wheels, St. Louis Church spaghetti dinner, Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski's campaign, the Catholic Youth Organization, Girl Scout Camp Day and senior encampment, a member of the Young Life Association, Civil War re-enactor, Teddy Bear Patrol with Howard County police, Eagle Award volunteer and Senior Planning Board delegate with Howard County Girl Scouts.
Plans: Nicole recently received a full ROTC scholarship giving her $12,000 a year. She would like to attend the Naval Academy or West Point. This week she will complete her interviews at the Naval Academy. Nicole would like to graduate with a bachelor of science degree in engineering and math and become an officer.
Her comments: "There are lots of opportunities in the military. I want to work with people. You are taught to be a leader and in the last year at the academy you teach [other students.]
"I am looking at this as a lifetime career. No one in my family is in the military, I have researched my choice. I have talked to a lot of officers and people in the military. I definitely want to be a leader."
Send nominations to Student Standout, The Sun for Howard County, 5570 Sterrett Place, Suite 300, Columbia 21044. Please enclose a brief description of the student's activities and a phone number to reach the student.