February’s Student of the Month: Sana Hadid

Patricia Cavero

February 13, 2024

 

To be Student of the Month, a teacher must recognize a student who is excelling in their class, their kind contributions, and being a good role model to their fellow peers. As the school year progresses, Carina Casissa, an English teacher at Seaside High, picked a student that she wanted to highlight, Sana Hadid, a freshman at Seaside High School.

“Sana always has a positive attitude in class and consistently demonstrates engagement in what we are learning,” Casissa said. While I was interviewing Casissa, they had so many great things to say about Hadid. 

During English class, Casissa assigned a narrative story and Hadid wrote about how the main character misses a lot of school due to culture shock (of moving to the U.S.) and feeling alone and winds up getting a truancy letter. “It was just so well put together and really pulled on the heart strings and I felt that it was relevant,” Casissa expressed. She goes above and beyond with every assignments and her writing techniques are phenomenal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I announced to Hadid that she was picked for Student of the Month, her response was filled with excitement and appreciation. “I feel excited and thrilled to be a student of the month!” Her favorite subject is PiSteam (Science). “Science is one of my favorite subjects, so I always get the work done and pay attention in class,” she said. She expressed how the content is easy to understand and Hadid likes the way it mentality challenges her. Hadid’s science class uses good teaching methods such as clear communication and student-centered teaching, which helps her and other students to interact with one another. Additionally, students can be more motivated to study if their teachers actively interact with them throughout the class. 

When I asked Blake Toro, a Biology and PiSteam teacher at Seaside High, what is something that surprised you about Sana Hadid? He responded, “Throughout our various interactions, Sana distinguished herself from others by exuding a positive, inviting charisma that allowed her to form positive relationships with her classmates and by going out of her way to ensure that she, as well as her peers, achieved the goal of each class period.” Hadid’s sincere concern towards others shows that she can use a significant amount of emotional awareness to empathize with others from different backgrounds. 

In her PiSteam class, she is open-minded and extremely adaptable when faced with new, challenging tasks, which she tackles with resilience to figure out the fastest, most effective method to handle her difficulties. “She speaks humorously with peers and the instructor, but does not get distracted and has maintained a perfect "4 A" in the course at all times because she wants to be successful. I am proud of her efforts each day.” Toro mentioned. 

Hadid is a natural leader when it comes to helping her classmates, she advocates for the needs of others and herself. “In my opinion, due to her avid determination to excel, her skills in public communication and advocacy, as well as her unwavering desire to assist others, Sana is one of the most capable students I have had the pleasure of encountering,” Toro added. 

In the classroom, she displays kindness and politeness with everyone she encounters, even if they haven’t met before. Hadid is a credible person with strong leadership, team-building, and public relations abilities. With her continuous commitment to reaching all of her goals, her exceptional communication skills, and her genuine desire to help those in her community. 

As a freshman, Hadid is already taking college courses in Monterey Peninsula College (MPC) and she is in her 2nd semester at the college. “I believe that taking college classes early will provide me with extra experience and knowledge that is crucial to have when I enter college as a full-time student,” she explained. Having to take college level classes as a freshman in high school can be stressful and too much too handle, but not for Hadid. She also has a plan after high school, “I am already enrolled at MPC, I plan to continue attending MPC until I earn my associate's degree. After that, I intend to transfer to university.” Hadid is very organized and already knows what she wants to do and the steps she would need to achieve her desired career path. To encourage her during crucial times as both high school and college student, she has her family and friends guidance and support. She's very goal-driven and the idea of success inspires her to do great things in the future. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later on, Hadid wants to pursue becoming a neurologist or physician assistant. “I have always wanted to become a doctor and being a neurologist stood out to me because you get to learn about and examine parts of the brain, nervous system, spinal cord, etc. which are all interesting to me!” she expressed. She did, however, add that training to become a neurologist requires  too much time. Her alternative would be to work fewer hours as a physician assistant, which would still pay well. 

 

Author’s Note: As a junior at Seaside High who was unaware of Sana Hadid, reading about her journey inspired me to do well in my studies because I respect her perseverance and commitment to succeeding in the future. I hope Hadid's fellow pupils find inspiration in her as well. She truly deserves to be this February's Student of the Month.