In honor of the 2019 Farmington High School graduation, we’re highlighting a few of this year’s outstanding graduating class. Today’s Senior Spotlight is: Katie Struck!
Katie is a musician and a performer. Her teachers describe her as “friendly, helpful, kind and thoughtful.” She comes across as outgoing and confident — but that wasn’t always the case. Katie has worked throughout high school to build her confidence and become a mentor for younger students.
“I think throughout high school I found more confidence in myself. When I first started high school, I didn’t really put myself out there much,” Katie shared. She held back her freshman year, afraid of stepping on toes or getting in the way of the older students. That all changed when she started making friends with upperclassmen.
“I realized that I now had someone to look up to. I knew someday I would be in that position too, so at the start of my sophomore year, I put myself out there more. I continued to do so for the rest of high school, and I’m glad I did,” she said. As her own mentors graduated and she became an upperclassman, Katie found herself mentoring younger students and setting an example for them. She credits this experience with giving her a confidence she can carry with her into college.
Katie has been involved in choir, theatre, speech, FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America), and Link Crew throughout high school. Outside of school, she works at a daycare, takes piano lessons, and occasionally takes Kung Fu classes.
After high school, Katie plans to attend Northwestern College in Iowa to study music education. “I hope to be a high school choir teacher because music is such an impactful part of my life, and I hope I can give others the same experience with music that I had,” she said.
Here’s a little more about Katie and her time at FHS:
All About Katie
Favorite class & teacher
“My favorite subject at school is choir. It’s probably the only class I have ever taken that felt more like a family than anything else. Choir at Farmington High School is truly a safe place. You have so many different people from so many different life experiences all coming together to sing and make music, and the love and support from my choir teachers, Mrs. Dimich and Mr. Ohnsorg, as well as from each other is truly amazing.”
Favorite high school memory
“My favorite memory from high school was probably all of the performing opportunities I’ve had. I’ve been a part of nine theatre productions at FHS, and I’ve done choir and speech all four years. The growth I have found in myself through these experiences and all of the wonderful people I’ve met along the way will always be cherished.”
Points of pride
- Lettered in choir, speech, and academics throughout high school.
- Earned several awards for her performances at Speech meets.
- Earned an All-Conference Award at the South Suburban Conference Festival for choir.
- Earned a Spotlight Award of an "Honorable Mention for a Female Lead" for her performance as Cinderella in Into the Woods.
Advice for future seniors
“My advice for future seniors is to not be afraid to get yourself out there and branch out to underclassmen. High School can be scary sometimes, especially for new students, so it’s your job to make them feel welcome. This will also hopefully help you gain a little confidence for whatever life after high school has in store for you, so be a leader!“
Search #FHSSeniorSpotlight on Twitter or Facebook to keep up with all seniors who have been recognized so far or visit our news page.