Cheerleader, churchgoer and aspiring journalist, Claudia Standeford is a modern-day Renaissance woman. Attending back-to-back-to-back camps for each of her interests this summer, 16-year-old Claudia has made a habit of keeping herself busy.
“I like to push myself and experience new things,” Claudia said. “Everyone wants experience but not everyone makes an effort to go out and get it.”
While most teenagers fill their summers with Netflix and napping, Claudia spends her time actively furthering her experience in all her passions. These interests take up most of Claudia’s time and have played a significant role in shaping the woman Claudia has become.
Claudia considers herself a reserved individual. She says being social is often uncomfortable, but she has found her confidence in the sport of cheerleading.
“I really love performing,” Claudia said. “When I’m cheering, I feel like a different version of myself. I create a sort of alter ego that lets me get out of my shell. Performing with people that have the same passion as mine is very energizing.”
When she isn’t cheering on the athletes of Bartlesville High School, Claudia spends a significant amount of time in church. Her mother is a youth pastor, so Christianity has always been part of the Standefords’ lives. Claudia lost her father to cancer when she was 7, and she said her faith helped her family get through that difficult time.
“I’m a very spiritual person,” Claudia said. “Church has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I really enjoy being part of that community and being involved in the youth group.”
She plans to continue with cheer and church while in college, but her chief focus going forward is her most recent passion: journalism. Claudia first became interested through her recreational photography. When she joined the school newspaper, her love of writing grew as well.
Serving as both an intellectual stimulant and creative outlet, journalism takes up the most of Claudia’s time in school.
Now preparing to enter her junior year, Claudia already has begun planning for her life after high school. Many people in Claudia’s family work in public relations, including several cousins with whom she’s extremely close.
This area of mass communication has always interested her, and the profession plays directly into her skill set. A goal-oriented, career-minded young lady, Claudia has high expectations for her future.
“One day, I want to run my own PR firm somewhere like New York City,” Claudia said. “I sometimes stretch myself a little thin and get overwhelmed by all my activities, but I think that they’ve helped develop my work ethic in order to achieve my dreams.”
