Imagine going overseas and spending a summer in a completely unfamiliar country with an equally difficult language. For junior Izabela Pop, this fantasy became a reality when she spent her summer leading into junior year in France, miles away from her family and friends.
Last summer, the CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange), a non-profit organization that encourages worldwide education, sponsored Pop and allowed her to spend a month of her summer vacation time in Rennes, France with a host family.
“The organization that I did it with is called CIEE Summer Abroad, and you spend one month in a foreign country,” Pop said. “I spent one month in Rennes, France. I liked it a lot; I stayed with a host family, I went to school, we went on trips, and I improved my French and went from French 3 to French 4.”
Though her French drastically improved, Pop was always invested in learning and eager to improve in all of her French courses.
“Even before the program, she has a positive attitude in addition to being a hard worker. She’s smart, but she also applies herself. That, especially in the classroom setting, has been super awesome,” French teacher Leslie Natzke said. “That has sort of gone over to the can-can. When she was a freshman, she was the only freshman doing it. She’s attractive to other people because she’s very vivaciously energetic and has a good attitude. It was the perfect program for her because she’s always pushed herself to do a little bit more than what’s asked.”
Since her host family knew fairly little English, she had to adapt to their level of skill and was required to only use English in especially serious situations. Along with the language barrier, Pop had to get used to not being the only child anymore.
“They were welcoming, but knew only a bit of English,” Pop said. “[This helped me learn] how to manage time and money along with how to adapt to a new environment and live with more people, which is difficult for me since I’m an only child.”
Her daily routine consisted primarily of similar activities to those of any regular American teenager.
“I would get home and we would have dinner together, and then just chill,” Pop said. “Then I would do my homework. Maybe we’d watch something together. We talked about the same things you would with your family: your day, the weather, your plans, goals and aspirations, and politics.”
Though having a clear interest in French, Pop has always had a space in her heart for science. As a young girl, she dreamt of becoming an astronaut before deciding against it.
“I’ve known I wanted to be a doctor since I was six, after deciding I wasn’t qualified enough to be an astronaut,” Pop said. “I wasn’t crazy about heights and dying in space, so I decided I wasn’t brave enough.”
Despite her fear, Pop remained interested in science. To this day, she has taken countless courses to help her achieve this goal and improve in her abilities.
“Since [deciding against becoming an astronaut], I’ve known I’ve wanted to help people, and decided to look into things that would help me accomplish that goal,” Pop said. “[I’ve been involved in] research, health careers, athletic training, and I’m going to start volunteering at a hospital. I’m taking as many science classes as possible this year; I’m taking three while two years before that I only took two.”
Swimming is another activity that Pop has taken part in for quite some time. She originally started swimming when she was ten years old, after she decided that it was the perfect sport for her.
“I’ve been swimming since I was ten. I can’t say that I’m the very best, but I can say that I try as hard as I can,” Pop said. “I’ve been interested in it because, when I was little, I played almost every sport that you can think of: I danced three different dances, I skated, I played soccer, and I tried gymnastics. I never liked any of them, until I tried swimming.”
Though clearly talented in many areas, Pop’s main career choice stems from this passionate interest in the department of science: becoming an athletic trainer. After years of being a swimmer, and tons of injuries, Pop set her mind on becoming an athletic trainer, and helping other individuals who have had similar problems.
“I’ve had my share of injuries while I was an athlete. Whenever I went to the athletic trainers, they helped me,” Pop said. “I thought that that would be a good opportunity to help others; people going through the same thing I went through.
The ambition and hard work Pop places into her activities is seen by her close friends, who especially admire Pop for her calmness and her determination.
“Izzy is one of the most put-together people I know. Though she’s incredibly smart, she manages busy scheduling, including swimming and an avid social life,” junior Sophia Cinquemani said. “She’s the kind of person who’s on top of everything. Homework question? Izzy. Question about life? Izzy. Should I wear this dress with boots or heels? Izzy. She always knows. Besides this, she is an incredible person who is willing to do anything to help and defend her friends. She lives her life by her own standards and according to her own goals, regardless of what anyone else says.”
