Sophie Uijtewaal is a senior at Hudson High School. She is president of Hudson Community First (HCF), part of the Varsity Tennis team, Vocal Impact and an overall excellent student. She was born in Germany and moved to Hudson when she was little. She then moved back to Europe for a few years and later finally returned to Hudson. Everyone at Hudson is glad for her return!
Sophie’s words are a great representation of what the students at Hudson need, and she says she wants to see people have more fun at school. “The students here don’t have enough school spirit,” she said. “People should take advantage of opportunities like Explorer Days and football games to have more fun. Spirit weeks should create a more exciting atmosphere, and everyone should participate.”
Uijtewaal has attended Hudson for all four years of high school and wants to make a difference in people’s experience at Hudson. She said, “School shouldn’t give students this much anxiety, and definitely shouldn’t make us not want to go into the real world. It should prepare us socially and emotionally for adulthood.” When asked what she thinks students should do as individuals to make the school a better place, she responded, “Students need to be a part of clubs. They give you real-life experiences in your interests, help you create relationships and help you find what you love. There are many opportunities to help the community through volunteering in HCF, which builds yourself up while building up others.”
As president of HCF, Uijtewaal understands the value of extracurriculars. She wants to change how we view school at Hudson. “We are given so many opportunities here and need to take advantage of them.” When asked if students should have more freedom at school, Uijtewaal responded, “That’s a tough question. Responsibility is something that can’t be taught or taken away, only learned through experience. I can understand why students get their phones taken in class (because some people are so addicted), but how will we learn to regulate our phone use for the future if it’s being done for us in high school? There are freedoms that we should be given to learn more responsibility.” Uijtewaal wants herself and others to be set up for the future.
It’s inspiring to know that the leaders at our school trust each other and their fellow students to do the right thing and see our potential. Uijtewaal is a great example of a leader at HHS because she wants others to succeed and sees ways for everyone to make school a better place. Her advice for freshmen at HHS is, “I want to see kids less separated, and more supportive. People have been more reserved ever since Covid, and I think students need to stop caring what others think so much. We should follow our passions and be around people who lift us up.” Uijtewaal cares deeply about the people around her. She believes the thing she took most for granted in high school is time. “I feel like I should have worked harder my sophomore and junior years to figure myself out and set myself up for an easier college process. I felt like I had all the time in the world, but senior year crept up on me so fast.”
Uijtewaal has had lots of great support to get where she is today. “My biggest role model is my sister Emi. She inspires me to get more involved in the school and take leadership roles.” Uijtewaal gives her family a lot of credit for their support in pushing her to do her best. She says her IEP teacher, Mrs. Cultner, has also inspired her a lot. “Mrs. Cultner made me want to be a kinder person, and I hope I can inspire people to be a better person, too.”
