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Going out on top

Newton-Conover senior excels in school, sports

By Sarah Newell Williamson | Hickory Daily Record

Published: June 11, 2009

NEWTON - Julian Cernuda is leaving Newton-Conover High School on his terms.

He is one of the top students in the senior class.

A member of the wrestling team, he went to state finals three years in a row.

And he earned a state championship ring in football for the school's 2008 2A state win.

"I don't think I could ask for a better ending to it," Cernuda said.

The soon-to-be-grad also cares about the environment. He was a member of the green club, which focused on environmental issues. The members cleaned up around the school and are working to install solar panels.

Cernuda is also executive president for student council. Involved in student council since his sophomore year, he said he was able to make real strides as president this year.

"We got to host our first dance, the winter dance. That's a big thing for us. We're looking to start a homecoming dance next year," he said. "We also had mock elections here during the presidential election. We didn't say who the candidates were, just what they stood for, and had the students vote.
The numbers were only 3 or 4 percent off what the real election numbers were."

Cernuda said he really enjoyed running the mock election. That, coupled with going to Tar Heel Boys' State his junior year, where he got to meet with Catawba County legislators Sen. Austin Allran and Rep. Ray Warren, got him interested in politics.

"At Boys' State, it was a weeklong event, where you're separated into cities and function as mayor, chief of police and other jobs," Cernuda said. "I wanted to be a legislator, and ran as Speaker of the House and won. We got to have debates. It sparked my interest in political science."

He said it made him think about majoring in political science when he heads off to Wabash College in Indiana in the fall. Eventually, Cernuda said he'd like to go to law school.

He said he selected the school because of the small size, and because of the way he felt on campus when he toured it.

"I feel like I'm a part of it. I'm not just another student," Cernuda said. "They invested time in me."
He said he's anxious about leaving the area he grew up.

"I'm excited and nervous at the same time," he said. "I'll be interested to see how I do out there by myself."

Cernuda said he will miss the football games and wrestling matches that he will no longer be playing in. He said he wishes he could be around for the new science wing addition being built at Newton-Conover High School.

But that is what homecoming is for.

"Down the road, I want to see how people from the school are doing," Cernuda said. "I'll be back to catch up."