Standing in the spotlight

When she entered Port Isabel High School, Isabella Nuñez did not expect that she would one day be the school's student body president.

She was shy. She was happy to remain out of the spotlight - even when the spotlight was well deserved.

"I realized senior year that if I wanted to see things get done, I would have to do them myself," she said.

Nuñez, who ranks eighth in her class of 149, will attend the University of Texas at Austin in the fall, where she plans to study biology and take a pre-med path, with the aim of becoming a doctor.

"I always knew I wanted to be in the medical field," she said. "It's great to know you'll be able to help out other people."

Considering her academic history, the career choice is logical. Nuñez has excelled in science. She participated in the Med-Ed program during her junior year. Even just talking about the prospect of medical school gets her excited.

But in high school, her life was about more than academics. This year, she coordinated a school-wide fashion show to raise money for a local breast cancer awareness fund. She was inspired to put on the event after a teacher at Port Isabel High was diagnosed with the disease.

As it turned out, Nuñez was a beneficiary of the event as well. "It really helped me develop my leadership skills," she said. "And it was really cool to see how things turned out."

The list of her involvement is long. She's a leader of National Honor Society (NHS). She's treasurer of the school's drama club. She's been a part of the Superintendent Leadership Council for several years.