For some students at Hillsborough High School, being a Raider is all they know. However for senior Paula Moncadamunoz  she was able to taste a variety of places growing up.

The seventeen year-old has a unique background which makes her such a marvelous individual. Moncadamunoz spent her first years of her childhood growing up in Colombia where she played sports like basketball and soccer for fun. Moving over to the states, her first two years of high school were occupied in North Carolina, and after that, Moncadamunoz relocated to the town she currently is a resident of–Hillsborough, New Jersey.

As time passes, Moncadamunoz continues to make new friends and discover new things to do. Some of her hobbies include drawing, learning how to play the ukulele and cooking a variety of foods that catch her attention.

“I am not a huge artist,” Moncadamunoz said. “But I do try my best.”

She is also a junior firefighter in the town of Hillsborough, where she spends many hours learning about the job itself.  A couple days ago she learned how to open a door, forcing it with some heavy tools.

Although she spends many hours at the fire house, Moncadamunoz is able to balance a part time job where she is a waitress at a local Mexican restaurant. She also plans to get another job by the beginning of summer. With all the hours she is working and all the money she is earning, she hopes to travel back to Colombia to visit her family by the end of this year.

For her future, she believes she is going to going to study international business. Moncadamunoz is determined to learn more languages to benefit her in the future within the next two years. There is a very high chance that she will attend The College of New Jersey, but she also has her eye on the notable NYU.

“My favorite thing about moving to the USA was that you guys have so many variety of candies I had never heard of or even tasted,” Moncadamunoz said. “I also loved that I could travel a lot more here and get to know new places.”