Sophomore acknowledges the value of hard work

Every month The Feather will highlight one student recommended by a teacher and voted upon by Feather staff members. Students are chosen depending upon several factors including and not limited to good grades, class engagement, positive attitude and special extracurricular activities.

The student of the month for January is sophomore Poojan Gopal, chosen by history and photojournalism teacher, Kori Friesen. Friesen says that Gopal actively displays a determination to work hard and improve in his studies.

“I picked him because I have seen an exceptional amount of dedication and commitment in APUSH (AP U.S History),” Friesen said.”Poojan doesn’t complain, he has a great attitude and he is committed to doing the ‘hard’ stuff to get it right. I appreciate what he brings to the table each time. I’m very proud of him.”

Gopal joined the FC student body three years ago after attending Clovis Christian Schools. He transferred with the intention to grow in both academic excellence and personal faith.

This year, Gopal has taken on a full academic load as well as his first AP class. In addition, Gopal plans to apply to the California Scholarship Association (CSF) this semester. Although, he does not focus solely upon school work, Gopal understands the potential impact of academics on the future.

“If you want to be successful in life you have to know stuff education wise,” Gopal said. “Getting an education helps you out a lot in life. It gets you a job so you have enough to support yourself and your family.”

Mother, Manisha Gopal, says that her son has shown a great deal of dedication to his classes this semester.

“He works hard a lot,” Manisha said. “Usually he does good at whatever he does. He always does his homework at home and has improved a lot since the beginning of the year with a 4.0 (GPA). My hope for him is that he will continue doing what he is doing with advancement.”

I picked him because I have seen an exceptional amount of dedication and commitment in APUSH. Poojan doesn’t complain, he has a great attitude and he is committed to doing the ‘hard’ stuff to get it right. I appreciate what he brings to the table each time. I’m very proud of him.–Kori Friesen.

During his free time, Poojan enjoys socializing with friends, playing video games and following professional basketball, football and baseball. His favorite teams are the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Browns. Gopal says that time to relax and rejuvenate plays an important role in being a well-rounded student.

“You can?t always be focused on school,” Gopal said. “You have to take a break every once and awhile to relieve stress and unwind. Watching sports and taking that time definitely does that for me.”

Nevan Gonzalez, ’17, has been friends with Gopal since his arrival in junior high three years ago. Gonzales says that Gopal is a loyal companion and overall fun person to be around.
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“He?s the type of friend that you can just hang around with,” Gonzales said. “In a group he would probably be most likely to talk but not extremely often. In general, he?s just the type of person you can be around all the time.”

After high school Gopal plans to attend classes at Fresno State before transferring to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and eventually to the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in order to pursue a profession in mechanical engineering. Gopal says that engineering is a stable profession that aligns with his own personal work ethic.

“I decided last year to become a mechanical engineer,” Gopal said. “I decided to do this just because it?s something that I think is a good job. I?d be a good mechanical engineer because I would always get the work done. I would try my best and give 100% effort.”

A video on Poojan Gopal is to be added at a later date.

For more features, read the Jan. 22 article, National holiday reminds citizens of civil responsibility.

Follow The Feather via Twitter and Instagram: @thefeather and @thefeatheronlilne. This writer can be reached via Twitter: @skylerklee.