“I quit figure skating after ten years because I wanted to do cheer,” said senior Hannah Nourie.

Nourie was on the IHM cheer team in eighth grade, and immediately fell in love with the sport. She continued participating in cheer when she entered high school as well, and was on Carlmont’s team for two years.

After being on IHM’s squad she said, “I always wanted to go back and coach them.”  That’s exactly what she did. Today, Nourie coaches the eighth grade team at IHM every Monday and Friday for a couple of hours after school.

“Me and my friend Aniles work together to come up with choreography for the girls,” said Nourie.  A lot of work goes into organizing different material for the squad. Nourie said, “It definitely gives me a sense of leadership. It’s a nice way to give back to an organization that helps define who I am today.”

Currently, Nourie is a member of Rebels Elite, on the Diamonds team, level 4.2.

Though cheer is undoubtedly an important component of her life, Nourie has also pursued her passion for science. To graduate from Carlmont, two years of science class is required.  Nourie has taken seven different science courses during her high school career. They include: Biology, Biotechnology one/two, Advance Biotechnology three/four, Human Biology, Chemistry, AS Physics and AP Physics.

This past summer she was one of the 15 students chosen, out of about 250 applicants, for an internship at California State University, East Bay. During this six week internship, Nourie worked to develop three new Boron Heterocycles, with potential biological applications.

“I had a partner, but we worked on separate projects. We worked in a synthetic organic chemistry lab. It was cool using Boron because most chemist use Nitrogen. I got to help create new compounds never made or characterized before,” said Nourie.

When asked about her plans for the future, Nourie said, “I’m probably going to major in Biotechnology. Or maybe bioengineering. I feel like the internship really gave me skills and experience that I need in these fields.”

As a second semester senior, Nourie continues to keep busy by getting involved around campus.

“I’m auditioning for the spring play. I’ve always wanted to join drama but never found the time. Cheer ends in march and I thought it would be fun to finally try it out.”