She’s the perfect student

[attach]6398[/attach]It’s safe to say Catherine Spagnuolo is not your average student.

The Loretto Abbey Catholic Secondary School pupil managed to achieve a 100 percent average for the 2011–2012 year, making her one of the Toronto Catholic District School Board’s top scholars.

She said the discovery of her perfect average came to her as a surprise.

“During the year, I never said to myself ‘Oh, I need to get a 100 percent average’,” she said. “I just kept setting high goals for myself and in the end it all paid off.”

Spagnuolo will be heading to York University in the fall to study biology. She hopes to help fill in the need for Ontario doctors by entering either oncology or pediatrics.

She said she grew interested in oncology after she lost her grandmother to cancer.

“After going through that experience, and feeling like I couldn’t really help out, I think it’s driven me even more towards that field,” she said.

She’s also fond of working with children, which she currently does as a volunteer at Mount Sinai Hospital’s infant hearing program.

“I’m actually interacting with the infants, and playing with them … it’s an amazing experience,” Spagnuolo said. “I love the environment and learning about the medical field.”

The Lawrence Manor resident has kept a busy schedule, volunteering at the school’s Camp Olympia, their Build 2 Learn fundraising club and local charity Villa Colombo.

In addition to volunteering at Mount Sinai Hospital during the summer, she’s also working at the Loretto Abbey Infirmary as a receptionist. She’s active in extra-curricular activities such as the school’s Italian club and plays trumpet for the jazz band.

“I guess with the volunteering and extra curricular within the school, it kind of made for a crazy year,” she said.

Although the constant studying, volunteering and extra-curricular activities eats up most of Spagnuolo’s schedule, she manages to find time to participate in Zumba classes and go to Yorkdale with her friends.