COVID-19 has made this school year difficult for Goshen County students. The Telegram will be profiling a Goshen County senior each week until graduation. If you know a senior we should talk to, contact ldailey@torringtontelegram.com. 

High school: Torrington High School

Hometown: Torrington

Activities: Varsity volleyball, Future Business Leaders of America state president, softball, track, yearbook

What’s been your favorite part of attending Goshen County Schools?

The fact that it’s small and close knit, because not only do I know a lot of people within my own school, but I also know a lot of people in other schools. It makes us a more close knit community knowing that us kids know each other at other schools.

What has been the biggest challenge of senior year?

Not having everything be normal, because that’s the thing about senior year, you just want it to go by with no bumps in the road whatsoever, and when something happens, you get bummed. For volleyball, we didn’t get to have a regular regional tournament we had to play in our quads, and then we ended up not making it to regionals or making it to state this year, which is really upsetting because in a normal year, we would have made it. And for FBLA we usually do one big competition in March, but we had to split that into three days this year, because you can’t see everybody at once. We have 900 members statewide and we can’t have that many people (with COVID-19), so adapting to the fact that everything has to be smaller now and there are more restrictions like sanitizing and wearing our masks, keeping track of who you’ve been around or who you’ve been exposed to. 

What will you miss most about Goshen County schools?

My friends, because I’m going out of state. You also just have certain adults that you connect to and certain teachers that you connect with through your high school years, and knowing that they’re not going to be there to have your back every time something goes wrong or that you need something is kind of scary. 

What’s next for you?

I am going to Dakota State University in Madison South Dakota to play volleyball and softball and to major in cybersecurity. 

How did you choose to work in cybersecurity?

Dakota State is a huge like technology and cyber based school, and I do watch a lot of crime shows and I just want to go out there and help, in a sense. 

Ideally, where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I see myself with a bachelors’ or a masters’ in cyber, and I’d like to work on a naval base doing that. And maybe do counterterrorism though the government. 

What advice do you have for underclassmen?

Do everything you can. When it becomes too overwhelming, it’s ok to step down from positions and it’s ok to say no to people. It’s ok to not want to do everything. You don’t want to stress yourself out through high school. But get involved, join one club. Do your work on time. Respect your teachers because they’re there to help you succeed and listen to what they have to say. Be positive.