Top 10 Spotlight: Natalia de Leon Has Unusual Study Habits

Natalia de Leon does not follow your typical study routine.

After a busy day of classes and school activities, “my mind doesn’t function when I get home tired. I would study a little, go to bed, and put my alarm clock at 3 a.m. to study more.”

The unusual schedule has paid off academically, as Natalia is one of the top 10 academic students at Los Fresnos High School. The daughter of Ruben and Claudia de Leon, she followed the example set by older sister Maria Jose (Majo), the valedictorian of the LFHS Class of 2014.

“Majo started waking up at 3 o’clock when she was in high school and I tried it,” Natalia said. “My parents are used to it. When she was still here, we would be studying together in the middle of the night.”

Majo is studying Biology at Texas A&M University. Together with oldest sister Maria Fernanda, who is studying Criminal Justice at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, the girls have made their Spanish-speaking parents proud of their achievements.

Natalia experimented with band in middle school and participated in athletics through high school. She played five sports at Resaca Middle School and played JV soccer at LFHS during her freshman and junior years. She was also a member of the Lady Falcon track team during her freshman and sophomore years.

“I didn’t play sports my senior year because I wanted to focus on my college applications, Natalia said. “It was really hard giving up sports, but I knew I wasn’t going to play sports in college.”

As Natalia gave up sports, she doubled up on her participation at International Christian Center (ICC) and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).

“God has been a big part of my life. He’s been a big part of why I have got on track.”

Natalia got involved with ICC in middle school, and has taught Bible classes for elementary classes and was involved in Youth Leadership there as well.

Her involvement with FCA began in middle school, and has made her way up to a captain position her senior year. “I’ve gone to FCA camp for the last five years. It’s been a huge part of my high school experience.”

Natalia has also been in active in RGV Lead, a partnership between education and business that prepares young people for today’s skilled workforce. This partnership involves high schools, colleges and universities, large and small businesses, and governmental agencies.

“It has been an awesome experience coming from a family where my parents did not go to college,” she said. “We’ve been able to teach other students about college awareness, the classes they should be taking. We’ve presented in front of hundreds of students, teachers, and business leaders. It’s pushed us out of our comfort zone and be ready for the real world.”

Natalia has balanced her extracurricular academics with academics. “I like to be well-rounded, and not just focus on school. I may sometimes overload myself, but I eventually find time.”

Natalia plans to attend Texas A&M University and major in mechanical engineering. She has received the Century and Regents’ scholarships, which are valued at $20,000 each and renewable yearly with academic progress.

“I love math and love to draw, and consider myself a creative person,” she said. “My grandfather on my mom’s side and my dad wanted to be engineer, but they could do it. There has always been a desire in my family to go into engineering.

“I always wanted to be a prosthetic designer. It’s a far off dream. If my sister reaches her goal to be an orthopedic surgeon, that would be great if we could work together to help people.”

Her advice to younger students: “I have seen my parents struggle a lot in their education. They gave me the opportunity to have this education. It’s your duty and your responsibility and duty to do something with it, but you have to put the effort to be where you want to be.”