Senior Tessa Di Cesare is a second-year staff reporter and first-year Our World editor for “The Spotlight.” Throughout her time on the newspaper staff, she has dedicated much of her time and energy to ensuring the success of the publication.
Tessa decided to take Newspaper Journalism her junior year because she has always enjoyed writing. Before joining “The Spotlight,” she explored her interest in writing through diary entries and short stories. However, she never wrote fully developed articles. She knew Journalism would be the perfect challenge to hone her writing skills.
Tessa has been in the journalism program for two years and is grateful for the tight-knit community of students on the staff. Some of her favorite memories are sitting in the Publication Lab with the editors and working on the issue together. Along with the team camaraderie, Tessa has also enjoyed the Pennsylvania School Press Association (PSPA) student journalism competitions.
“Our annual PSPA regionals and states trip to Penn State are always super fun and memorable,” said Di Cesare. “I loved chatting the entire bus ride there, getting ice cream from the renowned Penn State Creamery, and getting to talk to all sorts of other publications’ staff reporters and editors.”
As a member of the class for two years, Tessa has written plenty of articles. Her favorite was an Our World article titled “Exploring the linkage between lead and the Stanley water bottles.” It discussed the risk of lead in Stanley water bottles and how customers were reacting to this recent news.
“I was super passionate about this topic, so I did lots and lots of research to ensure I could write a well-thought-out and informative article,” she said. “And even after the article was published, I got much positive feedback on it, which made it all the more memorable as one of my favorite articles of my journalism experience.”
When Tessa is not journalism, she is involved in many clubs such as National Honor Society, Spartan Ambassadors, Teen Counseling, Operation Smile, and Athletes Against Hunger. Being part of Teen Counseling has always been light-hearted and fun for her and she looks back fondly on their monthly trips to the middle school. Because she was part of the program as a middle school student, she feels like becoming a Teen Counselor is a full circle moment. Outside of school, she spends most of her free time volunteering at Lehigh Valley Humane Society and ACCT Philadelphia, where she walks, trains, and fosters shelter dogs.
Tessa is also a multi-sport athlete, running with the cross country team in the fall, and the track and field teams in the winter and spring. Throughout her four years as a Southern Lehigh athlete, she will have earned 11 varsity letters from her success. Along with her varsity letters she has had the privilege of being a two-time captain of the cross country team and a captain for the winter track and field team. Tessa has experienced challenges as an athlete, but she believes that the people around her make it worth it.
“When you go through something so physically and mentally challenging, like running, you are bound to bond with those going through the same thing alongside you,” Di Cesare said. “In my experience, ‘bond’ is an understatement. Being a part of these three sports throughout high school has not only given me lifelong friendships, but I’ve also developed leadership skills, a stronger work ethic, and so many incredible memories.”
Throughout high school, Tessa has learned from a lot of teachers and coaches, but one has impacted her life the most: Southern Lehigh track and field coach Mr. Cotie Strong, who is also our school psychologist.
“For two seasons a year, from the time I entered high school until now, Coach Strong has been my coach, and the true backbone of my success,” Di Cesare said. “I have gone through highs and lows as a student-athlete, and in any case of a mental block, Coach Strong has been there, supporting me, and pushing me to become the best version of myself— whether that’s on the track, or off of it.”
When Tessa graduates in May, she plans to attend the University of New Hampshire where she will major in Information Systems and Data Analytics, and minor in Marketing.
As Tessa reflects on the past four years she cannot encourage the underclassmen enough to put themselves out there. She urges them to join the clubs they are passionate about, take the class they’ve been wanting to take, and go to that football game.
“I guarantee you’ve all had at least one conversation with an adult or elder where they’ve expressed how much they loved high school and would love to be back in those years,” said Di Cesare. “Set yourself on a path to where you are able to reminisce on your high school experience, and feel that same feeling of nostalgia, rather than regret.”
