By Claire Duong
Junior Tessa Nacke is a passionate and determined gal who loves dancing, the beach and all things Taylor Swift.
One thing to know about Nacke is that she is a driven cheerleader. Not to be confused with being on the cheer team, Nacke is actually a spirited member of Fountain Valley High School’s Song team but also participates on another dance team outside of school. Adding to the school spirit, she performs with the rest of the FVHS Pep Squad at school sport events, such as football games. Living by the motto of “putting 110% into everything she does,” she is motivated to crush the misconception that cheerleaders are not as intelligent as others.
As a person, others around Nacke describe her as having a buoyant, optimistic and outgoing personality. Everywhere she goes, she radiates infectious positivity. She is also open-minded and seeks opportunity, which makes her such a fun person to be around.
Nacke has many plans and goals for the future. For example, she is very interested in attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which she toured with her family last summer. From her experience, she is very fascinated by the culture, school history and student body there.
Given her love for writing, Nacke is interested in majoring in journalism but also gravitates toward psychology. Her main goal, though, would be to continue her dance career on a college dance team.
“I’ve always wanted [to do] that ever since I was little. It has always been a dream of mine,” she said.
A hard-working and passionate writer, Nacke joined Baron Banner to have an impact on the school through her work and articles.
“It makes me feel like I can make an impact and I have a voice that I can [use to] help people who don’t have voices,” she said.
Outside of school, Nacke loves to hang out with friends. Her favorite place is the beach, which has always had a special place in her heart.
“It’s always been a great sort of place for me to be,” she said.
There, she loves to take out a book and start reading with the ocean breeze channeling around her. She has dabbled in surfing yet feels that she still has a lot of room for improvement.
Nacke’s music taste is as varied as her hobbies.
“I really like R&B (rhythm and blues) and hip hop, as well as, like, indie pop,” she said.
Her favorite artist of all time would definitely have to be Taylor Swift, but she also enjoys listening to Tyler, the Creator and Miss Lauryn Hill.
Nacke is also a big fan of 2000s teen rom-coms with her favorite movie being “10 Things I Hate About You.”
Being around different kinds of people every day, the most important people to Nacke would have to be both of her parents, who she loves very much.
“They’ve always been there for me and they’ve always been supportive.”
Whether it be around her friends, family or even a potential friend, Nacke is never afraid to be herself.
“I just really love what I do.”