Natasha Szombathy

Rocklin

Natasha Szombathy holds an impressive 4.22 GPA and serves in various leadership positions, including the California Scholarship Federation, Girl Scouts, ASB Leadership and the marching band. 

She says one of her favorite parts of Girl Scouts is “working with friends on projects that directly benefit the community.” She recalls one of her favorite projects, “A few years ago we helped plant and cultivate a community farm in Granite Bay, and all of the fresh vegetables were donated to the [local] food bank.” 

When asked what most people don’t realize about marching band, she responds: “Most people definitely underestimate the physical strength that marching band requires—[you have to] be able to play music very loudly, while marching at sometimes up to 200-beats-per-minute.” 

Marching band has taught her great teamwork skills, too, as “everyone must be extremely focused in order to create the correct shapes on the field while maintaining cohesive music.” Her love of music helps keep her focused when she studies, especially listening to Mozart when doing math. To help break up a long night of studying, she will often go for a walk or run. 

She recommends the under-20 community to “seize every opportunity to challenge and learn about something outside themselves—volunteer as often as possible, take a class that sounds difficult, and sign up for programs you would never imagine yourself participating in.”

—Rachel Meeker