Calhoun Student of the Month: Angela Perez
Angela Perez is a senior at Calhoun High School. Next year, she hopes to attend the University of North Georgia, where she will study to become a mental health counselor. Nominated by her French teacher, Daphne Hrib, Perez is known around school for her hard work, dedication to school work and willingness to help others.
“Angela is a great student and she comes in with a smile daily. She is willing to work hard to be an A+ student and she is thoughtful enough to help others in class as well,” said Hrib.
Another of her teachers and Calhoun High School’s Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) club advisor, Lori Fisher, described her as “the embodiment of a stellar student.”
“Although quiet, she actively participates in many community service projects with CHS HOSA,” said Fisher. “She is punctual, respectful and takes pride in her work. Angela is a delight in class and has a very bright future ahead of her!”
Outside of the classroom, Perez plays the flute, is a member of the National Arts Honor Society and is the secretary of CHS’s Multicultural Student Association. She also volunteers at the Voluntary Action Center every afternoon when she gets out of school. This is something she has done since she was a sophomore two years ago, and Perez said she loves getting to be part of the good work the center does for the local community.
“I love going to the VAC. The people there are really nice, and I love the thought of giving back to the community,” Perez said. “They do so much to give back and support, and the people are so much fun to work with.”
In particular, she said she enjoys getting to know the people who come in to the VAC’s thrift store to shop and doing administrative work as a Spanish-to-English translator. It is important to her that the Hispanic community feel comfortable reaching out to the VAC when needed and that they are fully exposed to community resources.
Her passion for the Hispanic community is also one of the reasons she has chosen to study mental health at university.
“In Hispanic culture, mental health is a stigma. I usually would see that kind of stuff going on and felt like this was what I could contribute to society,” Perez said. “I want to help people better themselves and really think this is the way I can do my part.”