Student biographies
Below are biographies on some of the students who participated in the
Expect Great Things print and television ads. We hope it provides you
with a sampling of the nearly 50,000 diverse and accomplished students
who make up Minneapolis Public Schools. For more information, please
contact Susan Chambers,
612-668-0232.
Heather Clemens
Heather, 7, is a kindergartner at Ramsey International Fine Arts Center.
Her favorite school subject is art and her favorite book is "Cat
in the Hat." The best thing she has learned in school is Spanish.
When Heather grows up, she would like to be a nurse. She has a 1-year-old
sister and a 10-year-old sister who also attends Ramsey. Heather also
has a dog-named Maddie. In her spare time, she loves to do gymnastics.
This was not Heather's first commercial/print ad. She thought it was
fun and would do it again.
Juan Luis DeLa Riva
Juan, 9, sent back his questionnaire in Spanish. A Ramsey third grader,
Juan's favorite school subject is math and his favorite book is "Star
Wars." When he is older, Juan wants to be a football player. All
his siblings -- his 10 and 11 year-old-brothers and his 7-year-old sister
-- attend Ramsey with him. His hobby is reading. This was Juan's first
commercial/print ad. He thought it was fun and would do it again.
Mara Exline
Mara is 6 years old and in Ms. Kettleson's kindergarten class at Ramsey.
Gym is her favorite subject in school. The best thing she has learned
so far in school is how to count to 100. Mara's favorite books are from
the Harry Potter series, which her dad reads to her. When she grows
up, she wants to be a kindergarten teacher just like Ms. Kettleson.
She has one 2-year-old brother and lots of pets: two cats, Sasha and
Ruby, and four fish, Rainbow, Fred, Hey and Bobby. Her hobbies are finger
painting and coloring. Mara also loves to watch movies. This was Mara's
first commercial/print ad. She thought it was fun and would be happy
to do it again.
Idil Abdulgadir Faroh
Idil, 17, is in the 11th grade at Roosevelt. Her favorite subject is
English, though it used to be math. Idil's favorite book is "The
Giver" because of its many meanings. The best thing she learned
so far in school was to always get involved. After high school, she
intends to go to college and enter the field of medicine. Idil has six
brothers and four sisters. The oldest is 26 and the youngest is 5. Her
hobbies are playing badminton and being with her friends. She also works
20 hours per week at a job. This was Idil's first experience with a
commercial/print ad. She found out about the campaign through her involvement
in Roosevelt's student counsel. Idil's advice to younger students: "Don't
be afraid to try new things."
Fathiya Jeylani
15-year-old Fathiya is in the ninth grade at Roosevelt. Her favorite
school subject has always been English and she enjoys playing volleyball.
"What Daddy Did" is her favorite book because of its message:
no one is perfect, and you should forgive people. After high school,
Fathiya plans to attend college and become a doctor. Fathiya has two
brothers and three sisters who attend Roosevelt and Whittier Community
School. This was Fathiya's first commercial/print ad. Taking part in
the campaign helped Fathiya realize that a good education will help
you in the future, and respecting people from different countries can
make you a better person. She wants to share these words of wisdom with
younger students: "Make your dreams come true even if no one else
believes in you. Education is one of the most important things that
will help make your dreams come true"
Laia Galadriel Oliver
Laia is 10 ½ years old and in Cleo Simonett's fifth grade class
at Ramsey. Laia said it was hard to pick just one subject that was her
favorite, because she enjoys math, choir, school plays, language arts,
social studies, science, media, music and Spanish. Her favorite book
is "The Art of Mehndi" by Sumita Bartra. Laia has learned
a lot of great things in school, including math, science and writing
composition. When she is older, she wants to be an actress, singer,
dancer, fine artist, model and filmmaker. Her three brother range in
age from 8 to 24. Her two younger brothers also attend Ramsey. Laia's
three cats are named Shiva, Shakti and Tria. Her hobbies include rollerblading,
swimming, ice skating, hula hooping, dancing, singing, acting, tennis,
soccer, biking, stilting and hatha yoga. Laia thought her first print
ad was fun and would most definitely do something like this again.
Taylor Sanchez Schertler
Taylor, almost 6, is in Ms. Kettleson's kindergarten class at Ramsey.
His favorite subjects are art and gym, and reading is the best thing
he has learned so far in school. His favorite books are in the Pokemon
Series. When he grows up, he wants to be a doctor. Taylor has a 1-year-old
brother Kyle and two cats, Tiger and Louie. His hobbies include playing
backgammon, playing on the computer, baseball, hanging out with his
friends, going to the park and beach, collecting Pokemon cards and eating
cheese pizza. Taylor enjoyed his first commercial/print ad and would
do it again.
Lauren Selby
Lauren, 5½, is in Sra Duane's kindergarten class at Ramsey. Her
favorite school subject is gym and her favorite book is "The Backwards
Rabbit." The best thing Lauren has learned in school is how to
count in Spanish. When Lauren grows up, she writes that she wants to
be "the kind of scientist that digs up dinosaur bones." She
has a younger brother who is 2 ½. Her hobbies include gymnastics,
swimming and "play pretend." This was Lauren's first commercial/print
ad. She thought it was fun and would do it again.
Zoe Sponsler-Hoen
Zoe, 9 1/2, attends Mr. Leaeh's third grade class at Ramsey. The best
thing that Zoe has learned so far in school is Spanish and geography.
Zoe's favorite subject is science, and her favorite book is "The
Adventures of Boone Barnaby." She wants to be a surgeon when she
gets older. Zoe, an only child, has one pet named Tumo. Her hobbies
are collecting rocks and Pokemon cards. Zoe thought her first commercial/print
ad was fun and she would do it again.
Xia Thao
Nine-year-old Xia is in Mr. Leach's third grade class at Ramsey. The
best thing that Xia has learned in school is good test taking skills.
Her favorite school subject is math, and her favorite book is "The
Babysitter's Club." When she grows up, she wants to be a teacher.
Xia has five brothers and sisters who range in age from 1 to 12. Her
school-aged siblings also attend Ramsey. In her spare time, Xia loves
to roller skate. Xia thought her first commercial/print ad was lots
of fun and would be glad to do it again.
Elizabeth Wolf
Elizabeth Wolf, 18, is a senior at South High School. Math has been
her favorite school subject for as long as she can remember. The best
thing that Elizabeth has learned in school has been how to think for
herself and that hard work really does pay off. Her favorite book is
"The Little Prince" because it makes her see through the eyes
of a child. After graduating from South, Elizabeth plans to attend one
of the six universities that she applied to. She has one older sister
that attends college. Elizabeth's hobbies include dance, theater, cheerleading
and Mock Trial. She also works 20 hours a week at a job. Elizabeth had
previously done a commercial for Valley Fair. She thinks acting in commercials
are fun and would do it again. Elizabeth's words of wisdom for younger
students: "If at first you don't succeed - try, try again!"
Safia Yassin
Safia, 18, attends Roosevelt. Her favorite school subjects are math
and chemistry. She enjoys reading and reads many books. After high school,
Safia plans on attending college and would like to become either a doctor
or chemist. She has two brothers and one sister, who range in age from
19 to 25. Safia also works 16 hours a week at her job.
|
