If you have ever wondered who that loud girl with the waves of curly hair and vibrant personality in the hallway is, now you’ll find out. It’s senior Mahnoor Bhatti, and she is crazy about boy bands, music, city life, and crabs. If you ask her what her favorite pastime is, she will probably say “Watching reruns of Gossip Girl.”

Mahnoor was born on Feb. 5th in uptown Chicago, and she attended Walt Disney Magnet school until 3rd grade, which is when she transferred to Fairview South. Mahnoor has always had an attraction to the city, so when she moved it was tough, but her parents had a pretty good reason.

“As much as I had my heart set in the city, my parents thought we should live in a home in the suburbs so my brother and I could, later, attend a good high school in a more quiet and relaxed neighborhood,” Mahnoor said.

Mahnoor and her family are the first from their family in Pakistan to be living in the States. Because of that, she has always felt that she missed out on the relationship families share since none of them are here near her. However, Mahnoor has never felt that she was any less loved. On the contrary, she finds that she has one of the most loving families.

Her many friends agree that she is probably one of the sweetest girls they have ever met. If she had to describe Mahnoor in three words, best friend senior Lynn Vo would say that she is optimistic, compassionate, and loyal.

“She’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met and she’s really loyal and reliable as a friend. I can always depend on her for anything. She’s optimistic about everything. Even if she’s having a bad day herself, she does her best to help others have a better day. She’s just caring about everyone. I’ve never heard her talk bad about anyone, ever.” Vo said. They met freshmen year in homeroom, and have been close ever since.

Mahnoor has an affinity for laughing — you can hear it from across the hall. It’s contagious; so contagious that once you hear it, you’ll probably start laughing too. She rarely frowns, and when she does, there must be something wrong because it’s just not like her to be upset.  Actually, she hates it when others are upset, and this is why she laughs so much.

“I know it’s Mahnoor when I can hear her from a mile away. She’s so friendly and she’s someone who you will never see unhappy. I think she’s a freak when it comes to one direction and crabs, but I love her nonetheless,” senior Fariha Waheed said. She has been a close friend of  Mahnoor’s since freshman year.

Mahnoor loves pink and fashion; one of her favorite things to do is shopping, when she isn’t too busy planning activities with her fellow Student Government and senior cabinet members, or preparing for Qur’an Study’s Friday meetings as their public representative. For the last two years, Mahnoor has been a panelist for the Names Assembly so she could share her experiences with bullying, and make sure others don’t go through what she has. Over the summer, she volunteered at the Lurie Children’s Hospital. After high school, Mahnoor plans to go to college and study biochemistry and pre-med. She wants to be a  dermatologist one day.

According to Mahnoor, some of her greatest inspirations come from the people around her, and they are the reasons why she is the way she is. She has always been shown how to be happy, and been given reasons as to why she should be smiling and laughing at all times.

“I am inspired by everyone around me. There are so many students and teachers at this school that I admire and adore. Even the people that I work with and talk to in the local community really help me understand the true joys in life,” Mahnoor said.

Her positive outlook on life and her tendency to always be smiling can be best described by her favorite quote by Candace Bushwell, the author of “The Carrie Diaries”: “If you smile, even if you’re feeling bad, the action of the muscles will trick your brain into thinking you’re happy.”

Despite being bullied in middle school, and despite the many hardships she has had to go through, Mahnoor is still a fun, friendly, and hopeful person who is ready to take on the world as it comes to her.