Zachariah Lerman
No matter what Margaret Plante is doing or where she is, keeping herself busy is how she gives back to the world for making her the way she is. Her desire to help her family and friends goes beyond to strangers unknown to her. The kind heart that she possesses is contagious to those around her as the joy she spreads is endless. Her unique personality has lead Maggie to live an interesting life, with her friends and family at the center.
Margaret Plante, 17 and the youngest in her family, puts value within intangible items, something teens her age struggle with. Understanding the value of family and love, Plante has strengthened the relationship between her family and herself. When I asked her how important her family as to her, she replied quickly and happily.
“I believe I have the best parents in the world. My extended family is also very close. We just had our first cousin’s wedding and that was so fun. I am actually going to visit my Aunt in Jamaica soon.”
A critical aspect of Plante’s relationship with her family, is the bond she shares with her older brother, Teddy Plante. Teddy and Margaret have been by each other’s side since day one, as if they were twins. Today, Teddy attends James Madison University in Virginia, but the change in the distance between the two has had no negative affect on their relationship together. In fact, they regularly checkup on each other with phone calls.
“We’re very close. He’s a cool guy and one time I went to the nurse, and they were like ‘oh what’s your name’ and I said ‘Margaret Plante’. She asked if I was related to Teddy Plante and I said ‘yeah’. Then she goes ‘how is it living in your brother’s shadow? He’s a big part of my life. We’re like best friends.“
Two of the most amazing places that Plante has visited include: Dubai and Jamaica. Traveling to different countries has opened her mind to lives and ideas that she had yet to conceive. Going on vacation to Dubai strengthened the relationship Plante had with her mom. This getaway was influenced by her doctor. When Plante had pink eye for 18 days straight a couple of years ago, her doctor persuaded them to travel to Dubai where they were easily convinced.
“My mom and I were never crazy close, but this trip totally made us so close. We stayed for five days in a six star hotel. We went a camel ride, and my mom actually fell off the camel. On the way back home, two people stopped me on the plane, speaking a different language. I was worried that I did something wrong, but the person behind them said that they understood them and that he could translate for me. He said that they have never seen someone with light hair, light eyes, and pale skin before”.
Maggie Plante has many hobbies that take up six days of her week. Working at Mario’s is the most time consuming as she works Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. But she enjoys her job because of the friends she made and the skills she has learned.
“They call me the Queen of Mario’s. I have customers that give me presents. One customer gave me an 18 karat gold necklace. I wrote my college essay on her”.
When asked about three people that Plante wishes she could meet, either dead or alive, she struggled to answer. In fact, she only listed two names, and could not come up with a third.
“My grandpa and my grandma from my mom’s side. They died before I was born. They died when my mom was in her twenties. My mom always tells me that they would have loved me. So I would really like to meet them.”
Plante has a passion for teaching that she plans to pursue in the future. This passion has been one of hers for years now, and she wants to take it to the next level, college. Every Sunday, she teaches younger kids at CCD.
“I want to be a teacher when I am older so teaching CCD helps a lot. Haley and I teach CCD every Sunday together. We wanted to give back to the community.”
To conclude the interview that was conducted at Panera, Plante insisted that music was an integral part of her life. In order to know Maggie Plante, one must understand her love for music. She was more than happy to talk about this aspect of her life.
“One thing that I think is so vital to my life is I’m always listening to music. Yesterday, three different friends asked me to make a playlist for them. I’ll have mini concerts for my family. I like a lot of R&B and Alternative, but I listen to all kinds of music. Music is vital to my life.”