By Ella Fortine, Staff Writer
Acacia Bernier is a brand new Poly Spotlight Staff Writer for the 25-26 school year. There’s a lot more to her than that though, and as someone thoroughly involved in our school and community, her voice will be a vital part of Spotlight. It’s important to understand the person behind the writing, and Acacia’s story enriches her position as a writer who will put her best foot forward in keeping Poly students engaged and informed.
Both in and beyond Poly High, Acacia demonstrates her passion for helping others. On campus, she is a Peer Educator with the Wellness Center, through which she’s “been able to resonate [with her] own experience and [be] able to hopefully help others at school with mental health.” Reflecting on the difficulty and stress of junior year, she recounts how her own challenges have pushed her to express her passion through being there for other students. Junior year can be an academically stressful year for many students, and participating in programs that offer help to students showcases Acacia’s empathetic and benevolent character. Acacia’s altruism extends to the physical health of our community, and as a volunteer at Kaiser hospital she truly shows her passion for care. After graduating, Acacia is planning on becoming a doctor to channel her eagerness into a career helping others. As a devoted Christian, her faith bolsters this desire. She describes her connection with God and her Christianity as her most important value, feeling that “because [she loves] God…[she feels] this inclination to help others as well.” Helping others is an important tenet of faith, but while Acacia believes in this, she mentions that there is no pressure for her to be helpful specifically because of her faith. Being charitable for her is simply an important part of her values.
Along with being involved with helping at school and in the community, Acacia believes a big part of her identity is her work ethic. Although her liveliness and approachability is at the forefront, Acacia lists her hard work and academics as an important facet of her personality, while stressing the importance of both sides of herself. “It’s a balance,” she remarks, “without that balance, I think…that’s why, you know, the mental health became a big thing because I didn’t have that balance at school, I would just focus way too much on being this person.” She is seeking more of that balance during senior year, focusing on the fun of high school as well as the academics. Creating balance between hard work and rest is crucial to maintaining mental health, another part of why she is so invested in being a peer educator.
Going into her senior year of high school, Acacia is feeling calm and motivated to have a fun and exciting last year. After an academically intense junior year, she hopes to create more of the necessary balance she discussed. She mentions how the Glow Back to School dance was her first dance at Poly, and how she wants to “do more” and “have fun” by getting involved in different aspects of the Poly experience. Part of getting more involved includes Spotlight, which for Acacia is an “outlet to just express yourself.” She recounts how Mrs. Yeyna’s AP Language and Composition class helped her find her voice in writing and empowered her to speak through her writing. Out of all kinds of writing, Acacia most enjoys narratives and the power of weaving a story. Overall, Acacia’s ability to create an intriguing story while sympathizing and connecting with students will truly make her an important part of Poly Spotlight. We are looking forward to seeing the stories she will craft during her sendoff year!