For Rena Felde, high school has been a non-stop hustle. As a leader in flag football, High Tide, theater, the Redondo Youth Commission, Boys and Girls State and more, Felde’s life is overflowing with fulfilling activities and passions. But at the heart of her busy life, Felde is committed to her community, building connections and thinking deeply about the world. Her trademark charisma and contagious laugh will follow her to Cornell University, where she will be majoring in Global Development.
According to Felde, her personality has helped her get a lot in life.
“[Throughout highschool], I’ve been pretty bold. My extroverted personality has allowed me to make connections with a lot of different people and be involved in many communities,” Felde said.
Affirmed by her father Daniel Felde, Felde has always been “mature and outgoing.”
“Rena is a risk-taker. She puts herself out there and tries new things — she’s not afraid to fail,” Daniel Felde said.
Her various activities may seem disjointed from an outside perspective, but Felde was able to relate herself to each pathway, and in turn forge her own unique course that incorporates all of them. Forging your own path “takes confidence,” according to Felde. Her comfort in talking with adults and her ability to form connections showed her how important having community is.
“I’ve always been close with my teachers, even in elementary school. I think having adult relationships is very important for adolescent well-being, along with having a community and a purpose,” Felde said.
Felde’s commitment to community led her to serve as the chair for the Redondo Youth Commission, an organization that gives young people a voice in city government. As chair, Felde worked to restore the local teen center and advocate for teen recreational services.
“I have always had a purpose and I think that’s what helped me stay on the right track. With the Youth Commission, I realized that all the problems with troubled youth, like the mental health troubles and behavioral issues, were all probably rooted in deeper problems. Problems like a lack of community, lack of purpose, an unhappy life at home, and a lack of solid adult mentors. All the things I had drove me to give them to others,” Felde said.
However, Felde’s excessive ambition forced her to find a balance between all her interests. Though many told her to prioritize certain activities, Felde prided herself on “doing it all.”
“I just have a lot of interests. For example, I’ve been athletic since I was a kid, I grew up playing softball and Judo,” Felde said.
Felde joined the flag football team in hopes of playing a new sport along with other novice players – for the sport was novel to RUHS.
“I really love the high school experience of being in a sport: the merch, the comradery, the gear. I couldn’t leave high school without having that,” Felde said.
According to Felde’s father, Felde’s decision to try out for the football team emphasized how her ambition trumped her fear of failure.
“That was the most impressive thing,” Daniel Felde said. “She had never played football in her life, and she told me she’s going to go out for the football team, and I was thinking ‘what are the odds of her making the football team in high school?’ And she did it.”
Felde always wanted to be an actress, inspired by her Aunt, and despite only having tech experience, Felde always auditioned for the lead roles.
“She’s just tenacious and persistent,” Daniel Felde said. “She loves to try going for things that she’s never done before. She’s never sung anything before, but sure enough, she went out and got herself singing lessons. She became a singer [in theater] and worked on the technical crew for Hadestown.”
Felde’s multiple interests have led her to become an expert in niche fields: for example, her interest in nutrition and healthy lifestyles which coincides with her major in global development at Cornell University, with the latter emphasizing sustainable agriculture and world hunger. Felde’s interest was sparked by writing an investigative story on school lunches and food nutrition for the High Tide during her sophomore year.
“I’m just really interested in how the food you eat impacts your gut microbiome, and how the gut microbiome is connected to your brain through various nerve endings. I learned a lot from video essays,” Felde said.
Felde also harnessed her talents in communication to work with district directors to understand the systems behind food and waste on campus, and used her journalism skills to get her message across.
“I was able to actually make a change. RUHS uses aluminum bottles instead of plastic ones and 100% recyclable napkins [because of work that I have done],” Felde said.
Felde attributes her passion for agriculture, food and nature to the frequent exposure she has had through her family.
“My dad and his best friend and I always go on camping trips every year. My mom was a personal trainer for 20 years at the YMCA. My desire to be outside and be active also comes from going to summer camps as a kid. Summer camps also helped me become social,” Felde said.
Felde’s purpose in all her activities, including as a camp counselor at the YMCA, is to give back to all the places and people that gave to her.
“No matter what she does, where she goes, she continues to inspire me and everyone around her,” Daniel Felde said. “She has that way about her.”
