WOODBURY — Ada Gorka proves to Nonnewaug High School that you don’t need a microphone and a big crowd to make an impact.

“You don’t have to be vocal to be a leader,” says John Dominello, the culinary teacher and Harbor Program advisor. “Anytime that I see somebody going around to volunteer for something, you know, she’s on that list.”

Gorka’s list of accomplishments is never-ending and consistently in the making. Gorka is president of the Nonnewaug Student Council, a member of the National Honor Societies for Science and English, partakes in the Art Club while being in AP classes and working a part-time job at Al’s Best.

Along with Gorka’s achievements, she also speaks Albanian.

“It’s kind of weird because I speak English all day and then get home and I speak another language, which is Albanian,” says Gorka. “It’s kind of weird going back and forth.”

Even though this talent may seem like a superpower, there is a small conflict.

“At school it is weird because I think in Albanian, I don’t think in English,” Gorka said. “But I don’t talk to anyone in Albanian. I’ve started to accidentally say a word or two, and then I’m like, ‘Oh wait,’ and then they give me a funny look, especially if I’m on a phone call and speaking Albanian and someone’s like, ‘Oh my God, you’re so cool.’”

But how does this affect her at school?

“I feel it definitely affects my school life because knowing that I just wanna aim to be more successful which I’m also doing for myself, but also to make my parents happy.”

Gorka was a member of the Event Club her freshman and sophomore years, but since the Event Club and Student Council merged into one, Gorka is now the president of the reformed club.

“She’s a hardworking individual that I am grateful for, especially in the area of Student Council,” says Josh Kornblut, a science teacher and Student Council advisor. “I couldn’t ask for a better president.”

She may now be the president, but two years ago, she almost didn’t even join the club.

“I honestly didn’t really wanna join the club at first, but my sister [Megi] kind of forced me to if I’m being honest,” Gorka admits. “So I just went to keep a couple of meetings and realized it wasn’t as bad as I thought. It gave me more opportunities to do stuff, which honestly, I liked, and I think that was my number one thing that broke me out of my shell more.”

Her friends see it, too.

“She’s grown so much since last year,” says junior Bella Sylvester, “with speaking out more during class to being a kind person around the building.”

“She’s shown me what a good friend is and treats me like a sister,” says junior Emily Thomas. “She’s always there for me whenever I need her and I’ve never had to ask her to be a good friend to me.”

Gorka isn’t only there for her friends, but also her teachers.

“When I took over as Student Council advisor, there was a big learning curve for me,” says Kornblut. “Early on, I found out that Ada was someone who’s heavily involved with the event planning and things like that last year. … Right from the get-go, she just said, whatever I can do to help you, just let me know what you need. And so I leaned on her quite heavily in the start of the year, and I continue to do so, whether it’s making flyers for different events at Nonnewaug or just asking for advice for Student Council on how we should go about doing something.”

Everyone who knows Gorka can recall a heartfelt memory with her.

“I always think of a story from eighth grade when Ada was in culinary,” says Kornblut. “She and two of her friends came into my classroom during my prep period and they had some cookies that they had made for me. They wanted me to try one of the cookies and I took a bite. Of course, I told them, ‘These cookies are delicious.’ Meanwhile, I’m thinking, ‘Oh my God, these are the worst cookies I’ve ever had in my life.’”

“And I thought in my head that they used salt instead of sugar,” Kornblut continued. “And then Ada was the one who broke. I saw her. She started laughing. She couldn’t keep a straight face. And they, in fact, replaced the sugar with salt to prank me. And so I think that kind of shows how Ada is a great kid, but also has a really funny side.”

Many have agreed that Gorka comes off shy and reserved at first, but even more agree once you get to know her, she is truly an amazing person.

“When I think of her, I think of this really quiet person that really didn’t say a lot freshman year, but after I got to know her, when she speaks it’s quality,” Dominello said. “What she talks about – she always is impressive.”