As the students of A.J. Dimond High School make their way through second semester, the senior class is pushing towards the finish line.

Dimond High has seen many wonderful students grow from little freshmen into experienced and educated seniors ready to take on life after high school.

One particular student has made quite an impression upon Dimond High with her helpful persona, bright brain and overall kind presence.

Julie DuClos, a senior at Dimond, has spent the last four years basically living at school.

“What can I say? Dimond is the best. Really school is my home, my other home. I spend just as much time at school as I do at home, so I’m really comfortable with it. I love all my classes. I love most of my teachers and most of my classmates. I can’t really say I’ve had a negative experience in school, and I really am going to miss it,” said DuClos with a smile.

DuClos has had a very busy high school career participating in multiple clubs, sports and taking on quite a large academic load.

She has been apart of Key Club for three years, National Honors Society for two and Mu Alpha Theta for one year.

DuClos has also done robotics for four years, the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology Tech Challenge (FTC) and FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC).

“Robotics right now is my entire life because I go to practice every single day, but robotics is my family. I love to hang out with everybody and it’s great to be able to go in and do some some good work with people who are fun to spend time with. It’s also awesome when you win,” said DuClos.

She did cross country skiing freshman and sophomore year and has been on Dimond’s varsity riflery team all four years.

In addition to her clubs and sports, DuClos took part in Jazz Band, playing the piano as a sophomore and a junior.

Music has played a large role in DuClos’s life. She has been playing piano since she was eight and has been in love with the instrument ever since.

She said that “piano is a great release” and that she plays every day.

Then on top of all her extracurriculars, DuClos has managed to maintain a 4.27 GPA and survived taking four AP classes her junior year.

DuClos said, “AP Chem with Mr. Keller is pretty awesome, but so is AP Physics with Mrs. Childress, and so is AP Calc with Mr. Hall and Mrs. Sears.”

DuClos has a sure love for school, especially the engineering program which has had a great impact on her career choice.

She has been in the program all four years of high school and will be receiving the engineering cord at graduation.

DuClos said, “The engineering academy at Dimond completely influenced my decision to be an engineer. Before going into high school, I had no idea what I wanted to be, but once I joined the engineering program, I definitely knew that engineering was for me. I’ve learned some crucial skills that will really really benefit me when I go to college and study engineering.”

Looking ahead at the rest of senior year, DuClos is excited for what is to come.

“I’m definitely looking forward to senior prom. That’ll be fun. I’m going to be traveling with my FRC team to a competition in Seattle. I’m looking forward to perhaps winning state again for FTC, but probably not,” said DuClos optimistically.

With a packed senior year, life after high school appears to be just as bright for this young engineer.

“I have some pretty good options lined up for me. I’m looking forward to possibly attending MIT, but I’m also interested in checking out Colorado School of Mines and Northeastern and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,” said DuClos.

She also has no doubts about her major, “Chemical engineering all the way. But possibly I could see myself switching to material science, but I’m really interested in focusing on biotechnology. I think it’s pretty interesting if you can manipulate an organic compound to do whatever you want it to do.”

Her mother, April DuClos, called her a “mad scientist.”

DuClos has had a great high school career academically, athletically and within her extracurriculars.

Throughout it all, she even has been able to keep close ties with all of her friends who have nothing but nice things to say.

Morgan Byrne, a senior at Dimond, has known DuClos since the third grade and has grown very close with her.

“I’m closer to Julie than I am to my sisters. Julie is the biggest procrastinator I’ve ever seen in my entire life, but she’s also a pretty hard worker. She’s pretty smart, but she’s also willing to help people if they need help. I can literally tell her anything and there’s no judgment at all, probably because she’s done something worse,” said Byrne.

Tian Ah You, another senior at Dimond, said, “I’ve known Julie for three years. She’s like one of my best friends, and she’s amazing. Julie is like perfect. She’s smart and funny and talented. She is really good at playing the piano, she’s smart in every school subject and she is patient.”

Tami Suenram, a Dimond senior, is a close friend of DuClos’s.

“We’re just really good friends. She’s smart, funny and just tells you the truth.”

DuClos’s high school experience has been one to remember.

She called it the “best experience of my life.”

Dimond High is surely going to miss her.