Junior Natalie Fuchs has made the most of her high school experience by starting a club and becoming involved, even with the unexpected arrival of COVID-19. 

Adjusting to quarantine was rough for Fuchs at first, as she describes herself as a very social person, and not being able to see her friends face-to-face was hard on her. 

In response, she co-founded the Community Connections Club (CCC) at La Salle — a club to help students stay in touch with one another in a safe manner. 

“I started the Community Connections Club because I was feeling really isolated over quarantine and I really wanted to see friends but stay safe at the same time,” Fuchs said. “I thought it would be a really great way for people to safely connect.”

Fuchs said that she has a lot of sympathy for freshmen since they’re not getting the full experience as ninth graders at La Salle. “I also feel really bad for the seniors and want them to have as great of a senior year as possible,” she said. 

In addition to CCC club moderating and maintaining a 4.3 GPA this semester so far, Fuchs is also a member of student council, and participates in the Earth and Mental Health Awareness Clubs. 

Since her freshman year, Fuchs has taken part in cross country, basketball, and theater. 

Getting involved with new activities has helped Fuchs meet new people as well as make new friends. “[Making new friends] was never something I was really good at,” Fuchs said. “I was super shy my freshman year [and] I think it was really good for me to [challenge myself].”

In order to manage her busy schedule, Fuchs utilizes a planner to write down when her homework is due, as well as creating flashcards to study class materials. “If I have the option I’ll make a Quizlet or I’ll write out flashcards, if it’s history,” Fuchs said. “I’ll usually write down what I need to know because reading stuff really helps me to remember it better.” 

When she’s not immersed in her studies, Fuchs enjoys painting and documenting her creations on her artistic Instagram account.

Fuchs recalls purchasing old vinyl records from Safeway and painting on them to create unique and colorful art pieces. After posting the finished product on Instagram, she was flooded with comments and positive feedback. “So many people told me they would buy them from me so I kind of realized I was not bad at art and I had a lot of fun with it,” Fuchs said. 

Fuchs’ favorite piece of art that she has created is a Nirvana album that she painted for a friend. “I painted it for them and they loved it so much they gave me $100 for it,” she said. “It was cool.”

Fuchs spoke openly about talking to people as her way to manage life stressors. “I talk to people about it, and [those] who maybe share the same experience and I would see how they deal with it,” Fuchs said. “I think you can learn a lot from people who have wisdom.” 

Since taking physics her freshman year, Fuchs has taken a huge interest in science and was inspired by her mom to continue on to AP Biology.

“My mom really inspires me, she’s super smart and she is really good at science,” Fuchs said. She was going to go to medical school but then she had me, so I kind of feel like in a way that’s what I should do.” 

Beyond La Salle, Fuchs wants to use her love for science to become a pediatric neurosurgeon. “I think brains are really cool and I love kids and I love helping people,” she said.