Eliana Soleimani

Last year, for the first time in Shiriyah history, the Sophomores won.  Great leadership shown by the tenth grade Shiriyah generals was the catalyst and one of the secret ingredients within that catalyst was North Shore’s April Student of the Month, junior Eliana Soleimani.

Eliana is proof that the unexpected can be achieved if one has the drive and dedication.  A determined young woman whose intention it was to win, kept her eye on the desired outcome.  Not surprisingly, she approaches everything she does with the same level of purpose.  Whether it’s developing rewarding relationships with her teachers and her peers, working hard in class or setting goals for her future, Eliana considers only one option – success.

Engaging in a number of diverse co-curricular activities, Eliana wanted to take the opportunity to sample different fields to better understand what she was drawn to as a future career.  There is Every Mind Matters dipping into the psychological realm, Environmental Club for the more scientific domain, Investing Club to delve into the world of finance, Peer Tutoring to better understand educational process, and Women Who Work to learn more about creating a work/life balance.  In addition, as a member of Girls Who Code and taking CSP (Computer Science Principles) class with Mrs. Wilensky, Eliana was inspired to participate in an internship last summer called the Summer Immersion Program (SIP) sponsored by industry-leading companies. As an SIP participant she learned web development with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and got an inside look into the tech industry.  While she enjoyed all of these experiences, still, none felt as if they were her right path.  However, in the back of her mind, she had a glimmer of a field that closely aligned with her personal experience.  Optometry.

For much of her life, Eliana has experienced issues with her vision that were helped immensely by an optometrist.  Lighting up, she spoke of her upcoming summer internship where she will be working in an optometry office and shadowing the doctor.  She is looking forward to observing patient interaction, learning the evaluation methods and technology and the end result of helping others.  Improving the lives of others, in even the smallest of ways, is something Eliana consciously strives to do on a daily basis.  To this end, she is a member of North Shore’s Chesed Club.  In addition, she is a volunteer at her Shul planning and coordinating childrens’ events and activities, a Friendship Circle after school volunteer for children with special needs, as well as a volunteer tutor for a lively eighth grader focusing on study skills and homework.  Eliana finds this work to be fun and immensely rewarding.

Another fun activity that speaks to Eliana’s competitive and athletic side is her place on the North Shore Varsity Tennis Team.  She is in her third year and loves the thrill of the game and the tension during a perfect volley.  Eliana also delights in spending time with her sisters baking oatmeal bars and banana muffins with chocolate chips of course!  Travel is also high on her love-to-do list.  Last summer, in addition to her internship, she went on a month-long NCSY Teen Tour to the west coast including touring Utah and Idaho.  Visiting Idaho spent a long time on her wish list!  Eliana says it was a great experience to learn how others in the US live and made many new friends and connections.  It’s her dream to travel the world to embrace new cultures and already has a good start with visits to Israel, Spain and Italy.  Speaking Spanish, Hebrew and Farsi should go a long way to fulfilling her objective.

And now for the favorites section:

Eliana’s favorite subjects are AP Psychology with Mrs. Glasgow and AP Macroeconomics with Mrs. Goldschmidt.  Her favorite color is Light Pastel Blue.  She loves dairy foods with an emphasis on basic pizza and mac & cheese.  For relaxation, two of her favorite pastimes are reading Colleen Hoover novels and walking.  Her favorite musical artist is Justin Bieber and is looking forward to attending his performance in June.

Eliana is one of the few students who has achieved membership in The National Honor Society and six separate subject-specific honor societies.  She exudes a quiet confidence but is simultaneously modest.  All of her many attributes will only continue to grow.  We are all looking forward to the amazing accomplishments her next year and the future will bring.

Mazel Tov Eliana!