by: Claudia Casal Montserrat, Nelson Kramer
People Editor, Editor in Chief

Hard worker and star student Annette Bassani is off to an exciting four years at Boston University. Her dedication and willingness to learn new things have gotten her far, and as she continues her studies, she would like to focus mainly on STEM. Overall, finishing off her second and final semester as a senior has been rewarding for Bassani.

Bassani has spent years knowing she has wanted to build things. As a kid, her dream job was to be an inventor, but now, as a senior in high school, she has chosen a focus in biomedical engineering. Bassani is ready to start this new chapter of her life in Boston and take advantage of the hustle and bustle of the city, as well as the abundant biotech industry. When she first visited Boston, she knew she loved it. As she remarked from her winter trip east, “I was dying and really cold, but I was smiling the whole time.”

Science being at the core of her interests, Bassani noted that throughout her high school career, working her way through LGHS science programs, it has been inspiring to see different types of science intersect. From broad concepts taught in her AP Environmental Science and AP Biology classes to the importance of studying things on such a small scale in AP Chemistry, the connections are endless.

A long-time athlete, Bassani began playing volleyball during middle school. Her first experience with the sport was a beach volleyball summer camp. As she recounted, “On the very first day, my arms hurt so bad that I started crying. Somehow that didn’t deter me, and I ended up falling in love with sport.” She was only more motivated to play the sport after being turned away from the sixth-grade school volleyball team. From there, she taught herself the skills and practiced with the roof of her garage, drawing inspiration from players like Justine Wong-Orantes and Lexi Rodriguez. From there, she joined one of the top clubs in the Bay Area, Mountain View Volleyball Club, and qualified for nationals in Reno.

Bassani now leads the Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team as their strong and compassionate captain. She reflected on the years spent in volleyball, noting that the sport has a lot of mental components that some might argue outweigh the physical. Regarding the importance of teamwork within the sport, she pointed out, “The super cool thing is that volleyball helped me practice relying on other people, especially if I’m struggling with something.”

Even though Bassani has excelled in the classroom and on the court, she knows the transition ahead is no small feat. She advises the students who walk this campus after her to find their study spots early, build good habits, and most importantly, be open to change, wherever they may encounter it. In the few weeks she has left at LGHS, Bassani is sure to look back and see the lasting impact she has made here on campus.