Meet Sierra van Wijk

    Sierra Adriana van Wijk is a 15 year old girl born and raised in Teaneck, New Jersey. She was born in Holy Name Hospital which sits right in the center of Teaneck. She lives with her mother and father and 14 year old sister Sydney. Sierra can speak Dutch and Spanish on account of her mother being Puerto Rican and her father being Dutch. Her mother speaks French as well but never formally taught it to Sierra. Growing up both languages were used very frequently in her household, such as everyday conversations and even singing happy birthday. She embraces the two very different cultures and is proud of her background. 

      Not only does she embrace her family’s ethnicity but also the service many of her family members including her uncle provide for this country. Something as small as always standing up to recite the pledge of allegiance is her way of showing her respect and support to those who serve. Despite having multiple family members serving, Sierra doesn’t show an interest in the military, but an interest in writing. From poems to stories her passion is using her words to create a different narrative.  This passion is what prompted her in the first place to take a journalism class, hoping to use those writing skills to further her knowledge not only about writing but about journalism as well. 

          In person Sierra is a very talkative and straight forward person. Surpassing most of the superfluous topics often brought up between strangers, she dives into the more personal and sentimental aspects of herself, thus bringing it out of the other person as well. This outgoing personality also means she isn’t afraid to ask questions whether it be about something serious and relevant to her task or almost random. Despite not having a big family, Sierra thrives in social situations and uses that skill to better herself in school and life.