Nathalie Chang is a junior and part of the school newspaper. She was recently made the editor-in-chief for The Miami High Times, where she has authored a few articles as well. Nathalie, who is mostly called Nat for short, is passionate about writing. “Growing up I didn’t have a lot of people listening to me and writing helps me cope,” she said. 

Nat is an outstanding friend. She is honest to the core no matter what happens. Nat realized she wanted to live an honest life because she used to be lied to a lot when she was younger. Friendship for Nat is having trust and communication.  

She always wants her friends to be honest with her even if it hurts and to always tell her if she did something wrong. “Friendship is like having a second family,” she said, “people to always count on and a shoulder to cry on too.” 

Nat once said that being honest with someone depends on the situation; she is always honest even if someone is sensitive. First, she asks if they want her to be honest or sugarcoat it a bit. Most of the time, she prefers to be brutally honest. “I feel if you are someone, I care about it, then you should know the truth 100%,” she said. “I will be honest even if it hurts you. Because if you are going to be honest with someone, you must hurt them as well.”  

Something Nat is most proud of is the bond that she has built with her mom. They were not as close in the past, but her mom later became her best friend and someone she can trust. Nat’s motivation comes from her mom who encourages her to keep going and to always be strong. Whenever she is going through something, she always tries to think positive even if the worst thing is happening to her. “Without my mom, I do not know how I would turn out,” Nat said.  

Surprisingly, Nat constantly thinks she is not a good friend, daughter, or sister. She always thinks that people are bound to abandon her or hurt her, and she constantly criticizes herself. Although there are times when she lets the problems get to her head, she tries to cope as best as she can by playing videos, listening to music, and watching Netflix.    

Nat has looked up to a lot of people in her life. As time passed a lot of her friendships and people disappeared and disappointed her, which brought her a lot of trust issues. She brings herself down a lot and she does not like talking about it, preferring to keep it to herself.  

I personally am thankful to have Nat in my life because she has done a lot for me and been there when others would not be there. Nat would always pick up my calls and answer when I was down having a panic attack. I am forever grateful to call her my friend and even family.