Senior Paulina Poels has steadily prepared herself for success over the past four years. As class president, SGA vice president, editor-in-chief of Lit Mag, and a member of numerous honor societies, Poels has built a legacy that will last lifetimes. 

Poels has spent her time at BAHS in countless honors and AP courses, including AP Language and Composition, which holds a special place in her heart.

“My favorite class was AP Language and Composition. Mr. Madden made the material interesting and, most of the time, I didn’t even realize I was learning until I could see the improvement in my writing. That class is truly when I learned how to write and gained confidence in my abilities,” Poels said.

Poels took her passions of writing to the Lit Mag, becoming editor-in-chief and forming lifelong friendships, especially with adviser Mrs. Rabbat.

“Mrs. Rabbat without a doubt influenced me most in high school. She is the most dependable, empathetic, and straight to the point person. She’s always there to give me perspective and make me realize how unimportant some things are. She’s always willing to listen and she’s also willing to make you listen, but I love her for that,” Poels said.

With all the time spent in the books, Poels always remembered that working hard could also feed into having fun.

“My favorite Slater memory was helping with the Clash of the Classes picnic my freshman year that we put on for the sophomores. It was a lot of work, but it was one of the first times that I was a real part of a big event, and I felt a lot of satisfaction with my work. I was just excited to be a part of something so big,” Poels said. 

Poels always wanted to help those around her to the best of her abilities. Her drive and impressive work ethic is leading her down the perfect path to the next level.

“I’m planning to major in international affairs which is something that I have always been interested in and will lead me perfectly to law school. Since I was little, I have known that I wanted to be a lawyer and that I wanted to study humanities, so not much has changed. I have also always wanted to travel the world, so specializing in international law sounds like the perfect plan for me,” Poels said.

With international affairs in mind and the love for a major city in mind, it was only natural that Poels would head to George Washington University, which houses one of the best international affairs programs in the country.

“I initially decided to apply to GW just because it’s in the heart of Washington, D.C. Their international affairs program has an incredible reputation which also drew me towards GW, not to mention the unmatched internship opportunities that come from being two blocks from the White House. There are also so many studies abroad options which I’m really looking forward to taking advantage of,” Poels said.

No matter where Poels ends up, she will be making a difference in the lives of those who often go unnoticed or unrepresented.

“My dream job is to be a lawyer in multiple countries who helps those who can’t help themselves. I want to be a lawyer who people know they can depend on and make my own firm where we do things the right way. I want to be the light at the end of the tunnel that is bureaucracy,” Poels said.