Born to lead

On Feb. 24 during lunch Camille Norczyk , 11, talks about how she enjoys talking to kids and getting them prepared for what’s to come for them in the future. “I like the feeling of people looking up to me,” Norczyk said.

Natalie Gomez, Arts & Entertainment Section Editor/ Staff Writer
February 25, 2015

On Jan. 31, junior Camille Norczyk spoke at a leadership conference held by the 4H organization, at Good Shepherd Christian Church, in the city of Los Angeles, where she taught kids ranging from the ages of 12 to 14 on how to become a leader of tomorrow.

Norczyk has been a part of this youth development program since she was in the fifth grade. As she got older, Norczyk began speaking as a Junior All-Star at leadership conferences where the main focus is to get kids to understand leadership and get them to step up and become leaders themselves.

“I teach the kids how to be excited about leadership positions and I try to make it fun for them,” Norczyk said. “The ice breakers I do are really important because they get people comfortable and involved.”

Aside from being a leader within the 4H program, Norczyk has also been the JV water polo leader for the past two years. History teacher and girls water polo coach, Cesar Armendariz, has known Camille for the past three years that she has been on the team.

“The great thing about Camille is that she is able to tell the team what to do without sounding angry or condescending,” Armendariz said. “Her teammates respect her because she challenges them without placing herself above the rest of the team.”

Norczyk holds leadership positions in and out of school. She’s the fundraiser planner for the farm club as well as the activities director for the San Gabriel 4H Fair, also known as the Chino Valley Fair.

Dee Keese is one of the adult directors of the 4H Fair, the head adult leader of the Pomona Valley 4H Club, and is Norczyk’s adviser for the Junior All Star Program.

“Camille has excelled in every facet of leadership in 4H,” Keese said. “I knew that she would be perfect in this position at the San Gabriel 4H Fair because of her compassion for the younger 4H members.”

Norczyk values all of the leadership positions she now holds because she explained that before 4H, she wasn’t as outspoken as she is now. Norczyk is currently trying to go from Junior All Star to Los Angeles County All Star for the 2015-2016 year.

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About the Contributors

Natalie Gomez, Arts & Entertainment Section Editor/ Staff Writer

Senior Natalie Gomez joined The Downey Legend as a writer this fall. She first became interested in journalism after her experience with yearbook camp the summer before her senior year. She is excited to start the year and further advance her writing skills by taking on challenging stories. “I hope Newspaper helps me gain confidence with my writing and helps me stay on top of current events,” Gomez said. Gomez is optimistic in making The Downey Legend a recognized news outlet to students, faculty and the community by writing interesting stories.

In her spare time Gomez enjoys catching up on the latest news, driving around town and staying home watching her favorite shows on Netflix. Her love for baseball developed during her time playing softball in previous years and her all time favorite team is the Los Angeles Dodgers. After graduating from Downey High School, Gomez plans on completing a degree in psychology and continuing her education by applying to medical or law school.

Karen Ariciaga, Co-Photo Editor

Senior Karen Ariciaga is starting her second year in Newspaper, and she enjoyed her position very much. She entered Newspaper with a position, as photographer last year, was her first year actually knowing how to work the cameras and take pictures on a professional camera. As a photographer, she has a job of taking pictures of sports events, rallies, and school events. “I really liked taking pictures for events, it was a way for me to see what was going around me,” Agriciaga said. “Being a photographer seems like a fun job, but there is also work that comes with it, there’s a balance.” stated Agriciaga stated. Her goals for newspaper are to enjoy every minute of it.

Photography is one of her many interests, she also enjoys re-watching old TV series such as Gossip Girl in her spare time. “Blair is my favorite,” Ariciaga stated. Other than Gossip Girl, she loves to sleep and eat Sushi, “I can eat sushi it all the time,” said Ariciaga. As a senior, one of her plans for this year is to go to all the dances. Ariciaga wants to be a lawyer when she is older. “I love the feeling of winning an argument,” she said. She plans to attend Loyola Marymount University after high school and wants be signed to a firm after college in hopes of fulfilling her goals. “ I want to get higher scores on my SATs’, pass with straight As, and join more school activities,” Ariciaga said, Her back up plan is to go to San Francisco State and fall back on business, so she is applying for scholarships and other colleges just in case. She is very focused on her career; Karen Ariciaga is very dedicated to get what she wants in life. She is taking steps to get to where she wants and going through it with a great attitude toward her up and coming year.