By Jessica Nguyen, Staff Writer
Freshmen year, she entered the FVHS campus, ecstatic that she was eligible for the highest Girl Scout achievement. Three years and over 150 hours of hard work later, Lauren Gergens was finally triumphant as her fingers wrapped around the cold metal of the Gold Award and her smile stretched wide.
As October Senior of the Month, Lauren Gergens is recognized for her hard work, diligence and zeal that she has exhibited.
Gergens started FVHS’s Baron Bowling Club last year as apart of her Gold Award Project for her Girl Scouts, but also for her ardor for bowling. As president, she organizes, plans and administers the events and promotes physical exercise in an entertaining way.
“I love bowling so much and it’s why I created the club-in order to share my passion with others. It’s cool that I’m able to bring that passion to FV,” said Gergens. “[Bowling] is a different kind of sport; it is not a strategic sport but kind of is at the same time. It allows you to focus and it is a lot of fun bowling. It is a very social sport and allows you to be with your friends, but still have that competitive element.”
Her responsibility is additionally depicted as a three-year member of National Honors Society. Not to mention, Lauren Gergens is a mentor and patrol president of Girl Scout troops, where she displays the qualities of a role model.
“Being able to incorporate all ideas from everyone and being able to let other people have chances to lead as well is what makes me a good leader-stepping back from the position of leader and letting other people take charge so they feel just as involved in an activity,” said Gergens.
Gergens is a bearer of the Girl Scout Gold Award that has been the hardest obstacle in her life that she has overcame. It has opened many doors for her including creating a club and volunteer opportunities leading to over 600 hours of community service.
“It was a lot of work putting together the club and everything and it is also something that I’ve worked up to for 13 years in Girl Scouts so that was very important to me that I earned that and I was very proud of doing that myself,” said Gergens.
Beside bowling, Gergens has been a member of the FV swim team for three years on open swim. Performing arts is prominent part of Gergen’s life as well. Freshmen and sophomore year, Lauren Gergens played music in band, Fountain Valley Royal Regiment (FVRR) and an instrumental music class. Both sports and arts revealed important lessons for her.
“[Swim] has taught me teamwork. Everybody has to work and to do their own part in order for the whole team to be successful,” said Gergens. “Music has definitely taught me time management-being in the FVRR, I really had to focus on schooling and music and it has also taught me dedication. You really have to be dedicated to music because of the shows we performed, of our marching and everything. You have to be on point for everything you do in the show or otherwise, the judges will be able to see you right off the bat.”
Lauren Gergens enjoys reading books and doing puzzles in her free time that she manages to still have by prioritizing. Even when she is exhausted and wants to relax, she still never loses her inducement in pursuing her goals.
“I just really like helping people, like the feeling that I get when I know that I’m bringing joy to someone else,” said Gergens. “My leader, mentors and scouts-seeing just how involved they were and all the opportunities they had just really motivated me to want to same things and to go out and get that.”
Beside getting her Gold Award, there are other differences between Lauren Gergens four years ago and now.
“I have definitely branched out a lot more, a little more talkative with people. High school has led me to try new things and experiences that I might of not, just because of the people that I’ve been with and met,” said Gergens. “Important lessons I’ve learned is that it is okay to let people help you; it doesn’t make you any less of what you are. I also learned that to take advice from people-listen. They have something that you don’t-take key. The best advice I’ve gotten is to learn from other people’s mistakes so you don’t have to learn the hard way.”
Even when Gergens makes mistakes, she continues to grow and develop from them rather than letting them bring her down,
“Life throws you curveballs sometimes and you are challenged and so, having certain life challenges has taught me to focus on the things that I want and to not stray because if you stray too much, it won’t ever happen,” said Gergens. “Different reactions will bring about different outcomes so I learned that I just need to be calm and cool in situations that are out of my control.”
Advice of her own include the importance of always volunteering because people genuinely appreciate it.
Coming up, Lauren Gergens plans to make it into a good college, like California State Long Beach, in the field of computers and to be successful, make connections and to get everything she wants to achieve. Regardless, she will leave behind a lasting imprint on FVHS and later, one on the world.
