Motivated. Caring. Kind. All of these traits give you a brief understanding of who Michelle Trinh really is. Michelle Trinh is a senior who competes on the Leyden Varsity Dance Team as a captain, plays soccer, is a very focused student, and has big aspirations of becoming a pediatric nurse. Michelle lays out her motivation for helping others by saying, “Guided by my faith in God, I’ve always believed in spreading kindness and positivity. It’s such a rewarding feeling knowing you’ve made a lasting impact, whether that’s through participating in service events like Make a Difference Day or simply just smiling at someone.” Michelle went on to say, “On Make a Difference Day, I participated alongside Fighting For Females, and we planted trees around local neighborhoods in River Grove with River Grove Parks Works.”, and “The MADD activity I participated in was important to me because in doing so it has sparked positive environmental change and boosted the River Grove community by making it more lively with nature. It has also given me a deeper sense of appreciation for all the work public service organizations do for our community.” Being a senior in high school is a very hectic lifestyle, but she manages to balance school and life as displayed through the sentiment, “As a high schooler who has commitments with dance, various clubs, taking a lot of AP classes, and just heavy class rigor, it can definitely be a lot to balance, but I do prioritize participating in service events, because I believe it’s a good way to give back to my community and to make a great impact.” Michelle’s aspirations to help others through service events have also helped her find a great career. She reminisces by saying, “One memory in particular was making cards for hospitalized children. As an aspiring pediatric nurse, this event gave me a great opportunity to support an incredible cause that I am very passionate about. Many kids spend the holidays in hospitals, so making cards for them knowing that it could make a kid’s day is the best feeling. It goes back to my core values of spreading kindness and positivity towards everyone I encounter.” As mentioned before Michelle has a great plan for the future. She lays this out more through her statement, “I’m planning on attending a four year university to major in nursing in hopes to work towards getting my BSN to become a pediatric nurse and potentially continuing my dance career in college.” She also attributes her great success in part to her mother through the humble sentiment, “My mom is definitely a big role model in my life. She is a great support system, and has definitely shown me great qualities in what being a strong and compassionate person looks like.” Michelle’s message to underclassmen is, “A piece of advice I would offer to underclassmen is to soak up every moment and to just say yes, because high school is what you make out of it. It goes by so fast, so enjoy it through all its highs and lows, and take advantage of all the opportunities you have to get out there.” Michelle truly is one of Leyden’s best and brightest students as well as a great person. There is no doubt that she will go on to a successful nursing career and life.
