If you were to tell senior Nick Shawley he’d be the person he is today as a freshman, he would’ve laughed in your face.

Despite contrary belief, Nick hasn’t always been well known during his high school career.

“I never used to know how to act around people. I always wanted to impress everybody, but didn’t know how to do so. It was a rough time in my life,” Nick said with an apparent frown on his face.

It was his junior year when he realized he started becoming more open with his classmates. With the introduction of more peers than ever before, he realized his comfort zone was slowly expanding.

“I began to realize that I couldn’t be quiet forever, so I had to do something about it.”

And that’s exactly what he did.

Nick is now the 2015 class president, a member of YEA, Reading Buddies, and a copious amount of other activities inside and outside of school, and he is proud of the outgoing individual he has come to be.

“I am very proud of who I am, and I do not regret any changes I made with myself along the way,” smiled Nick with a happiness that never seemed to fade away.

Not only has Nick impacted himself, but he has positively impacted many of the individuals surrounding him.

“He has the best attitude I’ve ever encountered. He’s extremely friendly, and I am proud to have him as my senior class president. Any girl would be lucky to marry him,” Emily confidently said.

When asked about her favorite quality in Nick Shawley, Anna simply said “He’s a down to earth person, and when he says something, you can tell he truly means what he says.”

One of Nick’s life goals is to persuade others to embrace who they are and to come out of their shells.

“Never be afraid to be yourself. People will love you for you. Never forget that.”