Nicole Dehuff, a graduate of Putnam City High School’s Class of 1993, had a dream. She wanted to become an actress.

She began her journey with small plays in elementary and moved on to leads in roles in high school. Even as a high school drama student, she studied characters to develop the closest portrayal possible. Due to her talent and hard work, she won several awards in drama competitions and made students in her drama class cry with her monologue from Sophie’s Choice. In addition, Nicole was her junior class president.

As part of meeting personal goals, Nicole graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. She moved to Hollywood to continue her dream which included winning roles in several mini series such as Monk, Without a Trace, CSI, and The Practice. She appeared in the movie, Meet the Parents and has an upcoming movie, Unbeatable Harold.

All the roles Nicole won and awards show just a picture of parts of her life. She was dedicated and focused on following her dream. She was successful in becoming an actress. On February 16th, Nicole passed away from complications due to pneumonia and asthma.

Students in high schools now are figuring out what their dreams are and are looking for ways to become successful. As high school seniors hunt for the right colleges and look for the pathways to make their dreams happen, they have successes in high schools that are building blocks for the future.

As a teacher, I see teachers who are pushing students to follow their dreams. For instance, Donna Bergmann, Central Intermediate’s Title I teachers and a just-announced Excellent Educator, is a talented teacher who inspires students to dig deep and to always give it their best. She is constantly looking for ways to help students improve and doesn’t accept excuses for poor performance. She sees any lack of achievement as an area for improvement and encourages teammates to do the same.

I also see students in my classroom with the same drive and dedication to learn. Their eager hearts and curious minds remind me of what Nicole might have been like as a child. Teachers in general look for talents in students and use those talents to motivate students to learn. Each success builds confidence to set a student on the pathway to follow his or her dream.