The musically- talented and resilient Noelle Schwartz will be bringing her love for music to Susquehanna University this fall. Schwartz plans to major in music education in order to become a choir director.

What sports, clubs, organizations, jobs do you have an what are your positions in each of these activities?

I am a part of the high school’s concert choir, chamber choir, and women’s chorale, as well as PMEA district, region, and state choirs. I am a part of the musical as an emsemble member, I am in my last year or Girl Scouts, I volunteer at an animal shelter on the weekends, and I participated in marching band for my junior and senior years as a Color-guard member as well.

Which friend or friends will you miss most from Bangor and why?

I think the people I will miss most are all of the friends I have made in the music program through musical, choirs, and marching band.

Which teacher influenced you most or who will you remember most from Bangor and why?

I think Mr. Di Minico has influenced me the most in high school. Through everything that has happened, especially this year, Mr. D has been there for all of his students and was the inspiration for me choosing to be a music educator. I want to be able to be that person in someone’s life that they can talk to, or even just to help kids to express themselves through music in ways you can’t otherwise.

What is your best high school memory and why?

My best high school memories will always be with the choir and music department as a whole, but if I had to pick one it would have to be winning best overall production at the Freddy awards for BAHS production of “Mamma Mia.”

What is your worst high school memory and why?

My worst high school memory is probably this year when we were in musical rehearsal and got the news that the schools would be closed because that would mean that musical would have to be postponed.

Which band could play the soundtrack to your high school career and why?

She’s not a band per say, but I think “Girl in Red” pretty much sums it up.

If there were a movie made about your high school days, which actor would play your part and why?

I would have to say either Ruby Rose or Madelaine Petsch. Basically, if those two had a kid with a mix of their “real life” personalities that would pretty much be perfect.

When you arrive at school in the morning, where is the first place you want to go and why?

I always go straight to the choir room mostly because my friends are always there when I get there, but I guess also because it’s my home room and I have the most memories there.

Where do you predict you’ll end up ten years from now and why?

Hopefully ten years from now I’ll have a job as a teacher and have a house and dogs, because that’s all I really need to be happy in life.

Which event, events will you miss the most and why?

I’ll miss the choir and music department events the most because it was the one time we could all forget about the outside world and just get lost in making beautiful music.

What is your favorite quote to live by and why?

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Learning to trust yourself and learning to believe in yourself is so important in your life because without that you’ll never reach your true potential.

What made you choose Susquehanna University?

Susquehanna University has such an amazing staff who are all so welcoming. I like that it’s a smaller school and it feels like a community as soon as you set foot on campus.

Throughout your high school career, what setbacks have you experienced and how did you overcome them?

The only setback that I’ve overcome is auditions for districts. Being close but never actually being accepted into the choir was difficult, but finally making it this year and moving on into regions and then states was such an amazing experience.

What musical was your favorite to have been in and why?

My favorite musical was “42nd Street” because the amount of work that was put into it brought the whole cast so close together. The fact that very few of us knew how to tap before the musical and we were able to put on such a tap heavy show was amazing.

Why is music so important to you?

Music is so freeing and is a way to express yourself in a way other than speaking. Sometimes you can’t pinpoint an emotion or find the words to express yourself, but you listen to a song and you can connect to it and feel like someone else might understand you. If you think about it, music is all around you all the time, whether you’re in the store, the car, at a party, or even just watching a movie there are forms of it everywhere. It’s such a big part of everyone’s life.