United States

Student Working at Greatness: Laudz Pierre

She’s a walking type-A personality. Whatever the subject, whatever the class, you can bet Laudz Pierre is earning an “A."

“Why should I stay back and be ordinary when I can be exceptional, I can do everything,” Laudz said.

Laudz is a senior at Miami Northwestern Senior High School. Her teacher in the magnet medical program says Laudz is the type of kid who isn’t satisfied getting a 95 on an assignment. She’s always shooting for perfection.

“You know there are bright students and there are students who have the grit to get what they want and that is what success is, to really make sure that you utilize every opportunity and you do what it takes to succeed and that is Laudz,” said Sonia Warren-Salmon, who teaches nursing.

What drives Laudz? She survived the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Many of her friends did not.

“I could’ve been one of those kids, like I lost friends from school that we was close, we planned to grow up together and then in a quick second they was no longer alive,” Laudz said.

She came to the United States six years ago with a fierce determination to learn English and to succeed in school.

“This, being here, is like the opportunity probably god wanted me to have, that’s why he spared me from the earthquake,” Lauds said, explaining a thought she says is always in her head.

She will graduate high school with an LPN certificate, but Laudz says she wants to go on to medical school and become a physician. Obviously brilliant and determined, she’s most proud of the fact that her peers consider her to be a role model.

“What better friend to have than a friend that pushes you and influences you in the right way?” said classmate Naomi Desir.

Another classmate told us Laudz doesn’t even realize how many students she’s inspiring on a daily basis.

“When you look at her past experiences and what she went through and how she overcame them it makes you realize if she can do it why can’t I do it?” said classmate Tamara Aristide.

Laudz already has a medical specialty in mind, neurosurgery, because a traumatic brain injury killed her cousin in the earthquake. Motivation infuses everything Laudz does.

“There’s nothing that can stop me here, like, there’s nothing at all, the only person that can stop me is myself, and it’s like, that drives me,” Laudz said.

This is a young woman fueled by the searing experiences of her childhood. She’s got roads to drive, all the way to medical school and beyond.

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