“I was not really raised with any particular religion. My mother’s side is Christian and my dad’s side is Jewish, so I was exposed to both religions, which definitely helped me have more of an inclusive mindset.”
Since a young age, senior Noah Zweig has been exposed to multiple ways of life. As a result, he considers himself a welcoming and compassionate individual.
“It has taught me that there is a lot of difference in people’s lives and it is important to be inclusive no matter what,” Zweig said. “I always remember people’s names, ask them how their day is, and help them out with anything.”
With the recent holiday season, Zweig was busy with all the festivities such as Hanukkah and Christmas.
“I’ve celebrated all the major Jewish holidays as well as some of the Christian ones,” Zweig said. “During the holiday season, I’ll have a Hannukah party with my family at my house, and then on Christmas day, I will just celebrate with my immediate family.”
One of the Jewish celebrations Zweig regularly attends is a bar mitzvah, a coming-of-age ritual for boys when they turn 13, as a dancer with a DJ company. His role is to facilitate traditional group dances while ensuring everyone is having a blast.
“I make sure everyone is having a good time on the dance floor,” Zweig said. “At the start, we do this traditional Jewish dance called Hora. Everyone circles up and you go in and out and you lift people in chairs. It is really fun.”
Another way Zweig pursues entertainment besides the party scene is on the soccer field, a passion he discovered at 6-years-old.
“I am a centre back and captain,” Zweig said. “I feel kids are forced by their parents, whether it is at the lowest recreational levels. That is obviously how I started until I started liking it a lot more.”
Zweig has drawn a connection between soccer and dance and believes both are an artistic expression of himself.
“Soccer is a great way to exercise but also to express myself,” Zweig said. “There are different ways to play and how I’m feeling in the day can explain how I play the ball. I also love hanging out with friends. You make a ton of relationships and friendships that will last a long time.”
Aside from soccer, Zweig showcases his leadership in the local YMCA’s Youth and Government program.
“We meet once a week and we talk about politics and debates that are going on in the news right now,” Zweig said. “One of my
favorite discussions from Youth and Government was our discussion on copyright law, which I talked about at Sacramento. As boring as it sounds, it was a very interesting and engaging discussion.”
Over the course of his high school career, Zweig has continued to not only challenge himself physically on the field but academically in the classroom as well.
“In freshman and sophomore year, I was a CP centered student,” Zweig said. “I did not take academics as seriously as I do now in the sense that I did not take challenging classes, but in my opinion, AP classes are not that difficult, much more of a step from CP or Honors classes. They are still a little difficult for sure and different classes are harder than others.”
With college application season behind him and soccer season coming to a close, Zweig has learned valuable lessons as graduation comes around.
“I have to make the most of it. Unfortunately, I’m probably not going to see a lot of people again forever, which is rough to get my mind around. Always have a positive mindset and enjoy everything, no matter what that is. Be more grateful for what I have, even if that is taking notes in class or group presentations where I get to work with people that I’ve never met before.”
