Either you’ve seen him donning his Superman obsession in plushies and backpacks, or you’ve watched him shove blueberry muffins into his bag, William Nogueira is a staple here at Ludlow High School.
Outside of school, Will had a lot to say about himself. Despite being the Editor-in-Training of the Cub, he also keeps himself busy with LHS Cares, the Spanish Club, or cooking and watching YouTube at home; he brings up Joe Bartolozzi, saying, “Joe is the way to go.” When it comes to the Cub, the guy writes more than required, and even when all of them don’t get posted, it’s something he’s still proud of. And if it wasn’t obvious enough by just looking at him, he’s a Superman freak, whether it’s wearing on-theme socks or the symbol glaring on his backpack. But he also enjoys the Pikmin franchise and the band TV Girl, calling them “audibly pleasing.” But when it comes to something that really stuck with him, William talks about Mr. Mulvehill, and how he taught us that nothing will be done perfectly. Now in APUSH, Will is grateful for the advice.
Growing up through Ludlow Public Schools, he can only describe his experience as weird. Growing up poor, William was confused by others around him, who always seemed to bring random things he didn’t have to school; wondering why he didn’t have anything. That was until mid-elementary, moving in with his step-dad, that they finally had a lot more to spend. But Will mentions his mindset hasn’t changed much, “But I’m still in the mindset of like the whole poor mindset, I feel like. Because a lot of my friends will joke about how I just have random stacks of cash around but I just forget because I don’t use it, because I don’t think I do.” Until he does realize and ends up spending a lot on silly things.
Now in Ludlow High School, he thinks everyone here is also weird, especially during this part of the year. And the difference in difficulty between AP Lang and AP Chem makes him want to bash his head into a wall. Despite that, Will finds junior year very easy so far. Besides his blueberry muffin addiction, the main reason he comes to school is to avoid staying behind, which makes him look like a real pessimist. He even comes to school when he’s sick, hiding the fact from his friends most of the time. On a positive note, William likes to come to see (and harass) his friends.
Being the future Editor-in-Chief of the club, William has everything planned out already. From article ideas, the club fair, agendas, and profiles, you would think he’s insane. He also wants more guest writers for the Cub, so for anyone reading this, feel free to ask… When asked about how he’ll entice others to join, specifically by bribery, he responds: “Maybe? It wouldn’t hurt. But I feel like we just need more popular people, because if one person does it, it’s kind of like a domino effect in my opinion.” And if people join and don’t write, “They’ll get kicked out.” But the Cub itself is about writing on anything, from trashy opinions to your favorite food, and Will hopes to encourage others by the endless possibilities.
Back to his spending habits, when he realizes he has the money, William spends a crazy amount on anything he’s interested in. Specifically with Superman, the amount of merchandise he owns is mental. But he’s trying to fill in the gap, saying “On my mom’s side when I was a little kid, everyone was a Batman fan, so and since this was during the Snyder era everyone kinda hated Superman.” When Man of Steel came out, Superman’s reputation hit a whole time low, even getting Will to hate him. But with the 2025 movie, the obsession began. But what he didn’t realize was that he was a Superman fan from the start. One of the few times going to Six Flags as a kid with his dad, he chose to get a Supergirl cape out of everything else.
And his addiction with the school muffins, William and his little posse always grab some for him in the morning. The worst thing is, he doesn’t even care for the fruit: “I don’t even like blueberries, that’s the worst part. But the muffins are so good. I feel like that’s just because of the muffin flavor, with the blueberry, where it kind of balances out. So I think it’s very good. Um, yeah.” His ranking of the school muffins are as follows:
- Blueberry
- Apple Cinnamon
- Cornbread
- Chocolate chip
Regarding his future, William has no idea. Every time he has to choose something, specifically in health class, he just chooses a random job. First wanting to go to Rhode Island, that dream died down when their colleges felt very limited. But he wants to live in Salem, with how close it is, how nice it is, and how cheap insurance is, saying, “I wouldn’t mind.” Maybe owning a restaurant or bar there is an idea, but Will hasn’t decided on anything yet.
And for advice, “I don’t think being poor is a bad thing. I feel like everyone deserves to be poor once. Because I feel like you get very humble, and start to acknowledge how much things actually cost,” despite him buying the whole Animal Crossing collaboration at Build-A-Bear for $117, “Obviously not to death, but I think it makes you more thoughtful about what you’re doing, what you’re spending, you realize whats a necessity and whats a want. And it sets you up for the real life.”