Within the walls of Sayreville War Memorial High School, there are people with dreams and hopes for the future. However, many of us simply don’t have time to stop and listen to everyone’s unique story. Unfortunately, many people go through high school unseen and unheard. But a few can be selected, and their story told to a wider audience.

This is Nicole Smagacz, currently a senior in the Class of 2018. She’s an aspiring entrepreneur and certain that a career in business is for her, but she’s not sure what industry she wants to dedicate her talents to. She describes herself as passionate, and those who personally know her can attest to her driven and hardworking nature. During her free-time she enjoys hanging out with her friends, spending time with her boyfriend, and working out at the gym.

Since this is her last year here, she feels very strongly about the thought of leaving. “It’s kind of hard, everyone says they want to leave and I partly agree with that, but I feel like I’ve grown so much over the past four years here, and I’ve gotten close with a lot of amazing people. It’s bittersweet,” Nicole reminisces.

Although she loves the school and her memories here very much, Nicole still feels as if her time here could be better spent. She doesn’t like the education system and its emphasis on numbers rather than real learning.

“We should focus more on kids understanding the subject instead of just learning for numbers and grades. For too long it’s been emphasized to do well on tests, because all we do is take tests, which makes it hard to just simply learn and understand.”

So far, Nicole’s talents have earned her a spot at Seton Hall University and New Jersey Institute of Technology, with more acceptances sure to come.