Savanna and Liana Rodriguez: two talented, dynamic twins each with their own story. With different passions and personalities, the Rodriguez twins seem to be polar opposites. While Savanna tends to be more extroverted, Liana falls closer to the introverted side of the spectrum. The fraternal twins also differ in height and appearance, Savanna’s extra inches serving as a hint to who is who. Despite these outward differences, the twins share the same core values, prioritizing academic success and emphasizing the importance of having good friends, expressing how they truly appreciate “being surrounded by people who can lift [them] up.”
“Savanna is one of the sweetest, most positive people I know. She opens my eyes to new perspectives every day.“ - August Garner
Savanna Rodriguez is an extremely giving and caring person, serving as an inspiration for students district-wide. With a full schedule, Savanna is a truly significant part of the Metuchen community, spending her after-school hours at the Zone, weekends at the Farmers’ Market, and evenings with the Metuchen EMS.
Through the Zone, Savanna can become a mentor for the middle schoolers, working specifically with students in 5th and 6th grade. She began this job in September and loves how it always keeps her on her toes. Savanna expressed how it’s “not a job she doesn’t want to go to,” and she’s always “looking forward to it,” as it’s “definitely a lot of fun.” She emphasized how she wants to be a person you can always talk to and become a role model and safe spot for middle schoolers.
On the weekends, you can find Savanna at the plaza, working in the Woodstack tent at the Farmers Market. There, she packages and sells their bread along with managing the cash box. She began this job in September and loves how it allows her to meet and connect with new groups of people. Savanna truly enjoys the aspect of community that the Farmers Market creates.
Recently, Savanna has found that her passions and strengths lie within the science and math field, which tends to be more analytical and logical. She loves learning new things in science, “a field that keeps expanding,” especially in the domain of health science. She finds it fascinating to learn about the human body and natural sciences.
"Savanna makes every room she walks into exponentially brighter with her kindness, intelligence, and humor. Savanna is so hardworking and she is my EMT queen." - April McLane
Last September, Savanna joined the Metuchen EMS to become an EMT cadet, exploring this passion for medicine and helping people with their health. This would be a new experience for her and being an EMT was something she had always wanted to pursue. On a typical 7-11 shift, Savanna and the EMTs would take care of civilians from Metuchen to towns 15-20 minutes away. After receiving a call, the EMTs ride the ambulance to their destination, then check the scene, check vitals, and depending on the severity, assist the police and/or transport the patient to RWJ, which has a trauma center, or JFK. Discussing her experiences as an EMT, Savanna expressed how she loves being able to interact with people differently, able to be more proactive instead of being a bystander. As an EMT cadet, she’s in a position where she’s at the scene and able to medically help people, taking initiative and giving back to her community. She plans on continuing as an EMT throughout college, as she’s “learning a lot,” earning “great exposure to the medical field,” and “being a part of it.” This amazing opportunity helped solidify Savanna’s passion for medicine, giving her a greater appreciation for people in healthcare, teaching her life lessons, and gifting her unforgettable memories.
“Liana is one of the most kind and lively people that I know. She always seems to be smiling or laughing and her positive energy is contagious. She is such a special part of both my life and this school.” - Annabelle Fedun
Liana’s passions lie in a different field, with a love for basketball and the community it creates. She began playing in 8th grade after Ms. Tzetzos caught her shooting basketballs and encouraged her to try out for the team. Basketball allowed Liana to talk to and play with people she hadn’t known before, allowing her to make new friends and memories. She loved everything about basketball, loving playing the game but also being a part of the team. Liana continued playing throughout high school, joining again in 9th grade. In this case, the players were required to wear masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which Liana definitely did not enjoy. They were also required to keep distances during games, which proved troublesome since basketball is largely a contact sport, but Liana found it an interesting experience to live through. Liana loves socializing with everyone, having a good time, and joking around at practice or on the bus. She loves how through the basketball team, you can meet people from all different grades.
On the team, Liana plays off-guard, staying mainly on the outside of the court where she takes three-pointers and makes cuts. When talking to the captain Kaitlyn Connors, she made sure to include how Liana’s “a solid defender too!” As a senior, Liana makes sure to focus on team energy and motivation, always trying to “uplift people’s spirits and compliment teammates.” She works to make sure that her teammates “know they did a good job even if it doesn’t meet their own standards” and that “they feel good about themselves.” One of her favorite memories was this year’s Senior Night, a big celebration highlighting the seniors and awarding them for all of their hard work and dedication. The gym was decorated with posters of their faces and cutouts of their heads, and the student section was filled with people energetically cheering. The seniors were given a chance to walk down with their parents, which she appreciated and found to be a nice moment to share. She notes how the team always makes practice light and fun, and there’s never a bad moment at practice. Liana is truly passionate about basketball, coming back each year excited to play. She loves the high adrenaline and competitiveness along with the encouragement and team bonding that takes place.
Another favorite memory was Liana’s participation in the Powderpuff game. She was supposed to be a wide receiver, jokingly describing this role as “running with your arms in the air, saying ‘Give me the ball!’” but ended up switching to offensive linebacker, a position she enjoyed much more. She worked to protect the person throwing the ball, the quarterback, by pushing people away, blocking people, and demonstrating her strength. Liana loved playing and watching football, and she was glad they had an opportunity for girls to play the sport. She loved the practices throughout November, the team's positivity and competitiveness, and the overall fun experience. Liana, or as her powderpuff shirt says, Liona, worked hard alongside her team to eventually secure the senior win.
When discussing Liana, we cannot overlook her strong passion for Legos. Liana loves any kind of Lego, especially the Star Wars sets, and has been building with Legos since she was 6 or 7 years old. She described a story of sister adventures, noting how at age 8 or 9, Liana had the crazy idea to build a new Lego set at 3 am, of course waking up Savanna to come and join her. The twins traveled to the living room, building the set from 3-5 am with a sense of purpose and pride, until getting caught by their parents. Lianna loves putting the blocks together and creating something out of it, feeling the “Wow, I did that!” sense of accomplishment after long efforts and commitment. Describing her strong passion for legos, Liana expressed how the proudest thing she’s ever done was complete the 7000-piece Millennium Falcon, which took a total of three months with two hours of work per day. She loved seeing it all come together and her work pay off.
The Rodríguez twins are very big on family, both twins describing their parents as their role models. Liana expresses how her parents are supportive of everything that she does, always checking in and wanting the best for her. Savanna describes her dad’s support and reliability and explains how her mom’s work as a nurse practitioner has inspired her to pursue a similar path. Liana also expresses her appreciation for her stepdad, who is a huge support system and always encouraging, along with her sister Savanna, admiring her passion, dedication, and organization.
“Liana is a terrific student, but a wonderful person - kind, hardworking, and funny (she's got her own impressive arsenal of dad jokes!). I first had Liana when she was a freshman, and that was the "Zoom" or hybrid year. It's hard enough to get kids to talk in math class, but that was an especially challenging year for everyone. Liana, however, always came to class (and it was 1st period!), be it on Zoom or in person, ready to work with a positive attitude, and even had some solid music picks for our morning playlist - she made a difficult year a bit more fun for everyone. I'm thrilled to again have her this year as a senior, and see that while she's older and wiser, she hasn't lost any of that fun spirit. Good luck next year, Liana!!” - Mr. Murray
When asked about their favorite part of MHS, the twins emphasized how much they loved seeing and talking to their friends every day, jokingly responding to the question with “Lunch!” Liana emphasized “food, friends, and fun,” explaining how during lunch she can talk to her friends, laugh, and have a good time without having to focus on work or outside stresses. When asked about their favorite teachers, the twins named fan favorites, Ms. Baird and Mr. Murray. Savanna had Ms. Baird in 9th grade and again for AP Lang in 11th grade. She expressed how Ms. Baird was extremely supportive, helping to build Savanna’s confidence and skills in writing through a very challenging class. Similarly, Liana discussed how Mr. Murray helped her increase her confidence and encouraged her to level up in her classes. She described how he’s such a great guy and great teacher, the best math teacher she’s ever had, and simply “on a different pedestal.” She had Mr. Murray freshman year for Algebra 1, which was during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was one of the only people in his class as an in-person learner, but Mr. Murray made the class extremely fun with high energy and lots of jokes. After succeeding in this class, she was encouraged to level up math-wise and recommended for the honors-level math courses. Now, Liana has made it to Mr. Murray’s class again for Honors Precalc which is tougher and more competitive, but Liana is ready for the challenge.
When looking ahead, both twins have very bright futures. Savanna expressed her desire to continue her passion for medicine, hoping to major in biology on a pre-med track. She aspires to eventually attend med school and begin a career as a medical professional. Liana is planning to enter college undecided, but she knows she wants to help others with a possible career in medical sciences or the medical field. She knows she will continue playing basketball as a recreational sport, making sure it is always a part of her life. The twins have different interests but are similar at their core, always valuing community and teamwork. The Rodriguezes are people we should all look up to for their dedication to giving back and constant efforts to help those around them. Their positivity brightens every day, making MHS a better place to be. Savanna and Liana, we are lucky to know you and be a part of your journey. We wish you luck in all future endeavors and know that you will succeed in whatever you pursue!
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