How have you changed since freshman year?

I have become way more sure of myself. When I was 14 or 15, I would spend like 60 percent of my life trying to fit in with who I thought would be the cool kids, and trying to be accepted and be popular. Then I kind of just realized that it’s not worth sacrificing your happiness to try to be accepted by someone who’s never going to accept you.

How has Northwest changed you?

Northwest 100 percent helped me realize that I don’t need to fit in with everyone to feel accepted, and that I don’t need to feel like everyone likes me and I don’t need to be a total people pleaser. Now I realize that there’s so many better things for my future and some girl not liking me in high school doesn’t matter at all, because I have so many things coming my way. As much as people say it, I hope high school wasn’t the best four years of my life and that there are better things coming. It doesn’t really matter what people think as long as you have your friends that make you feel good and you’re doing the things that make you happy.

Who was your most influential teacher?

Mrs. LaMourie and Mrs. Anthony. They not only helped me decide what career path I want to take, they also made me way more passionate about it and sure of myself. They supported me and made me feel like I could do anything I put my mind to.

How does it feel to be an influential senior?

It made me really really happy because I would so much rather be someone who is looked up to and made an impact throughout high school than literally anything else. It’s more of an honor than any captain or president position I could’ve gotten, because I feel like I’ve made a difference in peoples’ lives. It makes me really happy to know I was someone who people wanted to be like.

What legacy do you want to leave?

I just hope people remember me as someone who was willing to be friends with anyone, and didn’t feel like I had to fit in all the time. Someone who wasn’t going to judge you by what I heard from other people, and that I was willing to talk to anyone or be involved in anything, and it didn’t matter what other people thought of it.