Even though she has lived in Maryland, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles before coming to kindergarten in Portland, Oregon, sophomore Adina Dominitz treasures the essence of the close friendships she has found after finally settling down here and surrounding herself with the same few groups of students from her kindergarten to grade school years. 

Now in her sophomore year at La Salle, “there’s a wider variety of people, so I can learn a lot from other people and… hear their perspectives,” she said, because taking time to understand other individuals, including their backgrounds, is important to her.

However, Dominitz is not just driven by an academic endeavor to learn — she is also in the process of figuring out where her diverse interests lie.

“I love learning, but I feel like it’s also important to focus on one specific thing, like explore my passions and figure out what I am most passionate about,” she said. For example, certain subjects like psychology appeal to her because she’s able to take the thought processes of other people and implement it to circumstances in life.

One of her biggest priorities is to focus her attention intentionally — both outside of and during school — so that she can feel proud of her work regardless of the outcome. “I try and just focus on what I need to do now,” Dominitz said, expressing the importance of managing time and not procrastinating. “I’ll focus on just getting everything done, and realizing that I put so much effort into this and it’s going to pay off.”

“I shouldn’t be mad at myself if I don’t do well,” she said. “I’ve worked so hard.” 

As an athlete, sports are incorporated into her life both competitively and recreationally. Dominitz is currently playing club lacrosse year round and plays soccer during the fall. Football stands out as the one she enjoys watching the most since it is a significant element in her family. “I grew up watching it since I was a child,” she said.

Beyond the realm of sports and academics, Dominitz also participates in theater.

“I just like being someone else, like getting to feel their emotions and step into their shoes and portray these different characters,” she said. 

One inspiration for Dominitz is her brother, who graduated from La Salle last year. “I see how hard he works,” she said. Additionally, he has been making connections with various groups of people since he’s gone to college, “which I think is really important because you want to surround yourself with different perspectives,” she said. 

This contrasts with her kindergarten and grade school experience, where Dominitz was used to spending time with the same tight-knit community of around 50 students. Now, she values the ability to learn about broader views and backgrounds.

“Coming from my middle school, everyone grew up together; we’re all kind of the same,” Dominitz said. 

La Salle has helped her think more about the world by “noticing everything that’s happening in the world and reflecting about it and trying to do something better,” Dominitz said.