Treuting comes from a family of educators and successful students – her sister and grandmother were valedictorians of their class in years past – and Treuting said it was never difficult to find inspiration within her family.
“There’s a legacy of strong, intelligent women in my family that inspired me to want to do well and to want to be a learner,” Treuting said.
Hard work tells much of the rest of this tale in the classroom.
“Sheer determination to do well … a lot of studying, a lot of time dedicated to homework. I have some capacity for pain, I guess,” Treuting said with a laugh. “But mostly, I dedicated myself to doing it.”
She said receiving the news of the honor was a proud day for Treuting and her parents.
“They were surprised, but not surprised at the same time, because they knew I wanted to do well. They were just happy for me,” Treuting said.
Treuting will be attending LSU to study environmental engineering for her next stop. She also plans to try out for the school’s renowned marching band, the “Golden Band from Tigerland,” following up on her time playing trombone with the strong Hahnville band.
Her grandfather played for the Golden Band when he was a Tiger student and Treuting said she’s eager for the chance to follow in those footsteps.
“I’ve played trombone since I was 8 years old. My grandpa played it (at LSU),” Treuting said. “He continues to play it now. Being involved with the Hahnville band and working with him for so many years, there was no doubt I was going to try out for (the Golden Band).”
Environmental engineering, meanwhile, was a choice of study that called out to her as a way to potentially make a positive change.
“I’ve always wanted to do something to impact the world,” said Treuting. “I found myself to be really passionate about protecting the environment from a young age. A lot of that came from my sister’s influence. She’s really passionate about it. I really like math and I really like science, so I thought I might as well use my aptitudes to do some good and make some change to benefit our environment.”
She’s also long wanted to attend LSU.
“Most of my family went there. For me, a lot of it also is that it’s the one school in the state with a specific major in environmental engineering, so it was a great opportunity,” she said.
Treuting was also very involved in theatre in both on and off stage roles. This past year, she had the opportunity to play a lead character in “The Play That Goes Wrong.”
“That was my first show as a lead character and it was nerve wracking to learn all these lines,” Treuting said. “But by the end of it all I was just laughing on stage with everyone. It’s a comedy but it’s also so ridiculous, and the show was so much fun to do.”
Her time with the band and in theatre are going to be among her favorite memories that she takes away from her time at Hahnville.
“Those are people (she created) chosen families with … I learned so much about myself as a person and learned so much about integrity, character and looking out for people around you,” Treuting said. “When you play with a band, you aren’t playing by yourself. Everyone relies on you and vice versa and that just makes you want to do better. It’s the same with theatre.
“It’s never just about you and how you’re doing or performing, but also encouraging a positive mindset with the people you’re performing with.”
