e-mail
print
RSS
reprint
AIM
Digg it
del.icio.usClaudia Nieuwoudt, the Independent School
School: The Independent School
Activities: Claudia, who spent her early years in South Africa, speaks four languages -- Afrikaans, German, English and Spanish. She has taught English to Spanish-speaking parents at Hamilton Middle School and volunteered as a translator in the emergency room at Via Christi Medical Center-St. Joseph Campus.
Accomplishments: Claudia went from speaking little English in eighth grade to scoring a 5 -- the top score -- on the Advanced Placement English Language test her junior year. She is a state champion in tennis and Scholars Bowl but is most proud of her community service. With a church group, she helped rebuild Slidell, La., after Hurricane Katrina. She also helped organize a baby shower for the Gerard House in Wichita.
Future plans: Claudia will volunteer at a hospital in Ecuador this summer. After that, she will attend Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where she earned early admission to medical school. Eventually, she hopes to work with Doctors Without Borders.
Interesting fact: When Claudia was 3, her father got a grant to work in the United States. "It was cheaper to fly around the world than to take a direct flight (to Chicago), so we took the long way around" from South Africa, she said. They stopped in Singapore, Taiwan, Hawaii and Germany.
