Towards the end of the ’18-’19 school year, Ms. Lewandowski, one of the longest-standing guidance counselors in the district, retired. She will be missed dearly but, on the bright side, we have a wonderful new guidance counselor to fill her spot: Ms. Fugazot!
Ms. Fugazot is a brilliant, kindhearted person who is certainly outstanding in her field – I would know, since she is my new guidance counselor! But, most importantly, who is she? What are her hobbies? What kind of person was she in high school? Where did she go to college? In my enthralling conversation with the brand new counselor, Ms. Fugazot answers these questions and more.
What type of person were you in high school?
“I was very, very shy. It was actually joining the track team in high school that kind of pulled me out of my shell because the upperclassmen on my team kind of forced me to. I wasn’t someone that raised their hand in class and I had to kind of push myself out of my comfort zone to get better at engaging in class. I started out quiet, but every year of high school, I gradually got better. I cared about grades, so my social life was really only clubs or sports because I really didn’t have time for anything else. So then, when I got to college I kind of re-balanced myself and made more time for fun than I did in high school, which was really refreshing.”
Do you have any advice for student athletes?
“I loved running and competing for Colgate [her alma mater]. I would say that, seeing what my team had gone through and seeing what other athletes on other teams had gone through, I was almost unique in that I loved [running] the whole time. A lot of my team, from freshman to senior year, had left, whether it be because they got injured or just got burnt out because there were a lot of other things that happened in college. So I would say my biggest piece of advice for someone who is looking to play a sport in college is to pick the college for the college: for the majors and the opportunities… If they have the sport too, that’s nice, but make sure you have the other piece in case something does happen. You have to make sure that you’re happy at that school no matter what, sport or not. But besides that, I loved running at Colgate. It’s like an automatic family… and you get to escape campus for a little while when you go to games and things like that.”
What’s something that you’re passionate about?
“I love to travel. My dad is actually from Uruguay, so a couple of times when I was younger I would go with my family to see his side of my family. So that was my first traveling experience. But then, on my own, I did an internship at Costa Rica and I studied abroad in Australia. That kind of sparked my desire to travel. So…. every summer I try and go to some place different and experience somewhere new. I have a domestic bucket list and an international bucket list of places to travel, which I keep adding to.”
Also, what has been your favorite place to have visited?
“That’s a tough question. Every place I’ve been I can appreciate for something different. Australia was kind of unique because I was there during college, so I kind of got the college fun dynamic which added to why I loved it so much. They also just have this special, laid-back culture that’s super fun. Greece was probably my favorite for beaches, and Spain and Italy are probably my favorites for food. In Southern Africa, I did a month long safari through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. Experiencing all of the animal life and nature really changed me. I think elephants now are one of my favorite animals because they’re just the cutest things ever. Baby elephants trip on their trunks and their ears, and they’re just really cute.”
What is the strangest thing about Mountain Lakes? Are there any things that we do that set us apart from other schools?
“I think for me the strangest thing has been, which is not a bad thing, the free periods that everyone has. People can be wherever they want to be on their free period and not have to be in a specific room. It’s kind of cool seeing people playing ping pong or sitting at the tables in the lobby. At the last school that I came from, it’s very strict. You have to be in a study hall classroom during your free periods and you have to sign in and out. Every minute of where everyone is is kind of tracked, so it’s definitely a big change.”
Why did you choose to work at Mountain Lakes?
“I’ve heard good things, and I’m already starting to see why. What I’ve already come to like at Mountain Lakes is that it really feels like a community. Everyone has been very welcoming and very supportive. The staff have been great as far as getting me adjusted. I’m still working my way through meeting everyone, but all the students here have been really great. I’m learning about so many of the fascinating things that you guys are involved in, which I think are so cool. It definitely feels like I picked the right place to be.”
We are so excited to welcome Ms. Fugazot to our school! Make sure to say “hello” when you pass her in the hallways!
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