Close your eyes and click those ruby slippers three times and repeat…”There’s no place like NSHAHS. There’s no place like NSHAHS. There’s no place like NSHAHS.”
That’s what Claudia Tawil was thinking when she starred as Dorothy in a community theatre performance of The Wizard of Oz. Claudia Tawil refers to herself as the first ever “boarding student” at NSHAHS. Her home is in Deal, New Jersey, and she commutes to Great Neck every Sunday and Thursday to stay with her grandparents during the week. Why you ask? Because she enjoys working hard and really wanted to attend North Shore Hebrew Academy High School! Claudia’s efforts have paid off making her the December Student of the Month.
Claudia is a passionate person with a primary life goal to help people. She especially wants them to feel good in their own skin. Claudia intends to become a Dermatologist. She loves skincare and has made a mini-career of researching products and ingredient effectiveness for the past three years. She publishes her results on her Instagram page @mytop_picks and enjoys giving people a successful skincare routine. This past summer she was a home intern with a NYC dermatologist for whom she advocated and did marketing as social media manager to enhance the online presence of her products. Claudia dreams of someday having her own line of products.
Another way Claudia makes people feel good is through her performing. She has a long list of acting, singing, dancing, gymnastic skills and credits to her name. From the first time she attended a Broadway performance of Annie, she knew she wanted to find a way to play Annie. Claudia’s parents immediately enrolled her in voice, acting and dance lessons. She took to all of it and excelled. Her talent was revealed and started her on a path that included playing Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Babette in Beauty and the Beast, Louisa von Trapp in The Sound of Music, and even Charlie Brown in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown in live community theater. She’s been in Macy’s commercials and was on TV’s Billions. Claudia says she doesn’t experience stage fright. From the many accolades she’s received, she knows she fulfilled her desire to please her audience.
Here at North Shore Claudia gets to perform in other ways. She won Best Delegate in Yale Model Congress due to her presentation and public speaking skills and went undefeated on the Debate Team. As a member of Model UN, Claudia teaches other students how to speak effectively in a public setting. She tutors and is a community leader in her synagogue. She created an amazing Big Sister Program for young women with problems in her Syrian community in New Jersey and has made real connections with them meeting regularly on Zoom and Facetime. Again, there’s that deep love of helping others.
Claudia is pretty sporty as well. She’s been on the North Shore Tennis and Soccer teams, and since the age of three has been snowboarding out west with her family. Cooking (better than baking) is right up there with her sports love with Fettuccini Alfredo and Salmon being her specialties.
Her favorite thing about North Shore is the diversity she has been exposed to regarding both culture and traditions that she has learned from and appreciates. She felt welcomed with open arms from the first day and says she’s made lifelong friendships. Although it is somewhat of a challenge to balance both her home and Great Neck lives, she wouldn’t change a thing. How long do we think it’s going to be until we’re clamoring to make an appointment to have our skin glowing at her hand and stepping out to buy her well-researched wonderful products?
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