LFHS Top 10 Spotlight: Josephine Portier

by Ronnie Zamora/LFCISD

Josephine Portier appears quiet and reserved to most people, not something that you would expect from someone who enjoys playing the bass drum.

“Last year I was the only girl in the band on the drumline,” said the Los Fresnos High School senior who is ranked among the top 10 students in her class. Josephine has been part of the band since middle school and also plays piano, xylophone, and guitar.

“The drums are really loud and I liked it,” Josephine said. “I practice outside so I wouldn’t bother my parents.” The neighbors might have complained about the noise, but nobody complains about her academic success.

Josephine comes from a family of academic achievers. Her parents are both educators and her two older brothers were among the top academic graduates at Los Fresnos High School in 2010 and 2012.

She was a member of the LFHS UIL Academics team and served as a mentor for the Ojo a Ojo program, in which high school seniors tutor freshmen students at Los Fresnos United. She also enjoys debating politics and government.

“After helping make dinner, I do all my homework before going to bed. I write down my homework on a list while I am still at school. I go to bed when I get done with everything on my list, no matter how long it takes.”

Her older brothers also pushed academics. “Both of my brothers were very smart, so I wanted to be like them.”

Studying then became a routine. “Doing good in school was expected to get high grades. At first, you may want to make good grades to make your parents proud, but then it becomes a habit. You want to do good in school for yourself and for your future.”

Josephine received the Presidential Scholarship to attend Texas A&M University-Kingsville, where she plans to major in mechanical engineering. She hopes to work for a company that is involved in construction projects after graduation.

“My strengths are math, science, and physics,” Josephine said. “Mechanical engineering is how things work, is more practical and less theoretical. Mechanical physics involves motion, and that interests me. Engineers build things and do things. When you build something, even after you die, you would leave a legacy.”

Her advice for younger students: “Don’t take it for granted that you’re being given this education for free. You get to come here every day. It makes it a lot easier to get through the day.”