Meet PAHS Senior Alexandra Schmidt

Editor's Note: This article was originally published in the Phoenixville High School Purple Press. It is one in a series of profiles of PAHS Class of 2013 Students posted on Patch by special arrangement with PAHS and the Purple Press student newspaper.

By Soren DeMartinis

   Alex Schmidt loves to cook and bake, throwing in her own ingredients instead of following a recipe. Alex has the same cafe-free, doing-my-own-thing attitude towards life. She loves science, makes art to relax, has a desire to see the world, and treats people like a human being should. “I try to be really accepting of everybody because I believe that each human being is valuable. Everybody deserves to be happy, and we have such short lives,” she said.

   Alex has six siblings. Kristin is 24, Catherine and Niki are both 20, Tommy is 17, Joe is 16 and Sarah is 15. Together they have six chickens, two pitbulls, a lizard, and four cats (Bagira, Trinity, Mr. Pringles, and Jeffrey). It’s hard to imagine how she hasn’t gone crazy in a house with that many people and animals.

   Alex loves to learn. “Every science class was my favorite,” she said. Alex’s other fond memories include her teachers. Alex found Ms. Speckhals to be an inspiration. “She was brought on this earth to do amazing things. I have never met another human being with such a good spirit,” Alex said. She also really enjoyed writing for the Gazebo Literary Magazine.

   Cultural Foods was also one of Alex’s favorite classes. “I love to cook [and bake],” Alex said. Alex doesn’t use recipes. She just throws in whatever ingredients she thinks will go well with what she’s making. “I just throw some things in a pot, and hope for the best. It usually turns out pretty well,” she said. Alex’s original plan was to go to culinary school. “I was like ‘I’m gonna go to culinary school, be a pastry chef, and make wedding cakes, it’s gonna be glorious,’” she said. In sophomore year, she realized this plan wasn’t practical. Instead, Alex is going to Delaware Valley College for Environmental Science.

   Besides cooking, Alex is also good at art. Whenever she puts a pencil to paper, she said the drawings turn out “horrible” but she’s good at manipulating art in her hands. Alex likes to make sculptures, jewelry, and especially likes to crochet something because it will keep her friends warm. Mostly, Alex makes art to relax.

   In the future, Alex would like to travel. “I’m not having kids until I’m forty-two, so I can travel,” she joked. Alex has been to Canada, and to Florida with a friend; her family trip over the summer is the normal trip the Jersey shore. The place Alex wants to go to the most is India. She said, “I’m in love with their culture. I read this thing in Psychology that talked about how people living in the slums of India are happier than people in America. That makes me think, ‘Wow! We’re obviously doing something wrong as a culture if people that don’t have everything we do are happier.’”

   Alex will miss how easy everything is right now in high school. She will especially miss how easy it is to talk to her friends every day. She said, “We take for granted all of the contact we have, but then you get old and [have more] stress and then you don’t have any time for your friends.”

   Alex’s advice for younger students is, “Don’t feel bad about being yourself. If you enjoyed an experience, there’s nothing wrong with that. Do what makes you happy. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself. You are your greatest motivation, and you need to be proud of yourself and not let anyone put you down, because you’re pretty damn awesome.”