Student of the Month: Karina Oliva

Karina graduated from Notre Dame in 2009 and is now a freshman at Dominican High School. During her time at Notre Dame Karina received the piece maker award which is one of the biggest achievements a Notre Dame student can attain.  Throughout her four years at Notre Dame Karina managed to stay at the top of her class and still continues to do so at Dominican. Coming from a very humble background, Karina, has learned the meaning of hard work and is very proud of her academic and personal accomplishments. 

During this school year, Karina noticed that the current eighth grade class was not as united as they should be.  After many student and teacher complaints Karina decided it was time to bring the class of 2010 together for reflection.  She brought up the idea of organizing a retreat for the current eighth graders to her close friends, but initially did not gain much support. After much persistence Karina convinced friends from her graduating class to not only organize but also chaperone the retreat. “We met twice a week for two months. It was hard to get everyone to come between school and different schedules, but it was worth it.”

With the help of Diana Oliva, a classmate who is now a freshman at Divine Savior Holy Angels, the graduates organized a successful retreat.  100% of the eighth grade class responded positively and most girls would recommend the retreat for future eighth grade classes.  “We would do it again because we feel like Notre Dame is our home and we wish the students would enjoy their time here because time is going to go by and you wont be able to go back to the good old days.”  Diana and Karina both describe their experience with the eighth graders as a positive one and can truly relate and understand what the girls are going through.

It is no doubt that Notre Dame is extremely proud of Karina and how much she has helped the eighth grade class during this year.  We are sure we will have Karina’s help with guidance for other students as she aspires to be a doctor and hopes to change someone’s life in the future.