Teen face: Nicole Amaral

Personal: Nicole Amaral is a 17-year-old senior at Rancho Cotate High. She lives in Rohnert Park with her mom, Delphine, and sister, Ashley, 12. She also spends time at the Napa home of her father, John. The family pet is a mouse named Caramel.

Acting on a hunch: As an admittedly very shy freshman, Nicole Amaral looked at a list of electives and took a leap of faith.

"I'm not a good writer in English class, but I love writing. So when I looked at the journalism class, I thought, why don't I sign up?" said the teen who claims that journalism changed her life for the better.

Much of her freshman year in journalism class centered on the eventual contribution to the school paper, the Catamount. The Catamount was recently designated as a Pacemaker Finalist by the National Scholastic Press Association.

"It wasn't until the end of the year that we began to do the paper. I did sports. Our teacher encouraged us to try anything. I tried opinions, too," she said.

Personal story changes outlook: Faced with friendship pitfalls, Amaral decided to share her feelings about the search to find friends to trust and bond with -- without all the drama.

"I wrote an opinion piece about how drama wasn't good for anyone . . . I felt our school needed to hear it," she said.

As she was gaining confidence as a reporter, introducing herself and asking questions, other teens started calling her Drama Girl, or Gossip Queen -- in a good way.

"When you get to high school, you're still kind of innocent. I didn't know who to trust. Things get turned around," said the teen who admits there were days when drama had her coming home in tears.

"I'm thankful that other friends helped me through my struggles," she said.

Today's Weather -- Sunny and Warm at Grandpa's: She's always wanted to do the news. She used to sit on a stool at her grandparents house to give the weather report.

"I'd make up news reports. I watched local news stations, and I wanted to grow up and cover the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with Al Roker," she said.

She is interested in the journalism program at Sacramento State University. She sees herself continuing in journalism; she dreams of doing interviews every day.

A few of her favorite things: Her favorite film is "Angels in the Outfield." Favorite book? "The Outsiders."

The best family time for Amaral has to be vacationing with her grandparents. She claims her grandmom Faye is "so pretty and young-looking driving her Lexus."

A cancer scare brought the grandmother and granddaughter even closer.

"She teaches me all the time. She's loving, even if she is struggling. She has a big heart and a positive attitude, and she's always there to listen," she said.

Her father is her hero for encouraging her to follow her dreams.

"My dad has the biggest heart in the world. He loves giving back. He always encourages us," she said.

Speaking of giving back: Over the summer, Amaral worked as a volunteer at the Boys & Girls Club in Rohnert Park.

"I don't want my own for a long, long time, but I have a good way with kids. I must because they all hang on me," she said.

A few years ago, she also volunteered at a pasta dinner benefit for the mom of some family friends who ultimately lost her battle with cancer.

"When she got sick, so many people pitched in to help. Seeing someone you know go through that, it really got to me. It made me want to do something," she said.

She said she continues to be inspired by the widowed dad.

"He is an amazing father to his three boys," she said.

-- Rayne Wolfe