Senior Spotlights

tute, I plan on returning to Lynden and will seek work at Angar, but if God has other plans, I’ll do what He wants.

What is the greatest thing you gained from your K-12 experience? What is the greatest thing you gained from attending your high school? The greatest thing I’ve gained from my entire schooling experience, especially from high school, is perseverance. School has taught me that I need to trust God to give me the strength to continue on end.

What are your career plans?

My career plans are a direct result of the people who have come before and volunteered, impacted and sacrificed for me. I’ve been blessed with teachers who put in extra time, encourage deeper thinking, engage in diverse experiences, and devote themselves to the profession. I’ve had coaches who have taught me values of hard work, determination, foundations of fundamentals, and how to exceed external expectations. I plan on majoring in secondary

Madison Miller

School: Lynden

Grade-point average: 4.0

Where will you attend college?

I will attend Central Washington University

As a child, what was the first thing you wanted to become when you grow up?

The first thing I wanted to be was an orca whale trainer at Sea World. As I got older, I decided I’d rather work with people than animals.

Priya Dhaliwal

School: Lynden

Grade-point average: 4.0 and finish well. education to become a high school math or Spanish teacher and coach to give back to the future generations in my community. What is the greatest thing you gained from your K-12 experience? What is the greatest thing you gained from attending your high school?

Where will you attend college? I will be attending Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University.

As a child, what was the first thing you wanted to become when you grew up?

The first thing I wanted to be when I grew up was an architect, but as I grew up, I developed a passion for government and have been drawn to pursue a career in law.

Who is your role model?

One of my role models is my grandpa, Tom Blumberg. As a pastor, he embodies to me how a pastor and Christian needs to be a light to this lost world, to be bold in speaking God’s word. As a grandpa, he embodies how a to love both family, friends, and those who he meets for the first time. What do you hope to be doing in five years? In 10 years? In 20 years?

The greatest thing I’ve gained from my K-12 experience are the lasting relationships I’ve built and the life lessons I’ve learned. Whether it be from my teammates or peers, I’ve learned how to fight through adversity, stand up for what I believe in, overcome unforeseen obstacles, put others before myself and how to truly represent my family, my school and the special community of Lynden.

Who is your role model?

I have had many role models in

What are your career plans?

I don’t know what specific career I want to do, but I will be majoring in psychology and getting a forensics certificate so that I could pursue a career in either of those areas.

What is the greatest thing you gained from your K-12 experience? What is the greatest thing you gained from attending your high school? The greatest thing I gained from school is a strong work ethic under pressure. Who is your role model?

What are your career plans?

While attending college, I plan to major in political science with the goal of going to law school, becoming a lobbyist, and working on Capitol Hill. My desire to pursue this career has been fueled by my love for government and politics.

What is the greatest thing you gained from your K-12 experience? What is the greatest thing you gained from attending your high school? The greatest things I gained from my K-12 experience and from attending Lynden

Sierra Wyant

School: Lynden

Grade-point average: 4.0

Where will you attend college?

I am attending the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

As a child, what was the first thing you wanted to become when you grow up?

The first thing I wanted to become when I grew up was a veterinarian.

What are your career plans?

My goal is to become a Navy

Katherine Martens

School: Lynden Academy

Grade-point average: 4.0

Where will you attend college?

I am completing my associate degree this June and in the fall I am planning on attending Western Washington University to pursue a bachelor’s degree.

As a child, what was the first thing you wanted to become when you grow up?

When I was a child I wanted to become a nurse, because I loved helping others and caring for them. Since then I have learned that as much as I enjoy helping others I dislike blood and needles.

Consequently, what I want to do has changed, but my heart hasn’t. I still want to help and care for people. What are your career plans?

I am planning on getting a degree in Human Services. I choose this path because I have always had a passion for helping people.

What is the greatest thing you gained from your K-12 experience? What is the greatest thing you gained from attending your high school?

I gained so much from my K-12 experience, it was a journey of personal growth. The greatest my life, from my parents, grandparents and teachers to my coaches, friends and teammates, and I’ve been blessed to be surrounded by such incredible individuals that have helped me become the best version of myself and shaped me into who I am today. What do you hope to be doing in five years? In 10 years? In 20 years?

Not matter how far into the future I look, 5, 10, 20 years, I want to be doing whatever God has planned for me.

What is the most important thing in your life?

My relationship to Jesus Christ as my Lord, Savior, and God, is the most important thing in my life, and He is the most important person in my life. He saved me from eternal damnation by living a perfect life and dying on a cross for, not just me, but all people, and then rose from the dead.

Whatever I am doing in the next five, 10 and 20 years I hope that I am maintaining the philosophies that have been instilled in me during the last 18 years of my life living in Lynden. I hope that I continue to work hard to achieve my goals, carry myself with compassion, and ultimately leave anyone who I meet in a better mood than they were before.

What is the most important thing in your life?

My role model is the 70-year-old lady who ran after a thief in a restaurant because I aspire to be her when I’m old.

What do you hope to be doing in five years? In 10 years? In 20 years?

In five years I hope to be done with my bachelor’s degree and working toward my masters. In 10 years I’d like to either be starting or already have started my career, and in 20 years I’d like to be solid in a job and making enough money to travel.

What is the most important lessons I learned from my high school experience was perseverance, and learning to live in the moment. thing in your life? specializing in trauma care.

High School are the friendships I have formed, an appreciation for the extra time teachers put in to ensure that students succeed, and an affinity for the sport of swimming. Who is your role model?

There have been multiple people who have had a profound impact on my life, but my parents have been the most influential. They have always supported me and from them, I have learned hard work, kindness, compassion, and determination.

What do you hope to be doing in five years? In 10 years? In 20 years?

Although I cannot say exactly what I will be doing in five, 10, or 20 years, I plan on continuing my education and entering the workforce as a lobbyist.

Physician. After graduating from the Naval Academy, I hope to be selected to the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU). What is the greatest thing you gained from your K-12 experience? What is the greatest thing you gained from attending your high school? Due to my parents’ careers in the military, we moved often during my K-12 schooling. I am very grateful to have experienced many different types of people and cultures as it widened my worldview.

Who is your role model?

One of my role models is my mother. She is strong, persevering, and wise. She is my role model because she continues to learn and grow. She is encouraging, inspiring, patient, and a servant to others. She inspires me to press forward, to grow as a person, and to help others.

What do you hope to be doing in five years? In 10 years? In 20 years?

I do not know what the future holds, but I do know that I want to continue to help and care for people.

What is the most important thing in your life?

The most important thing in my life is my relationship with God. He is my source of love, joy and peace. He has been faithful to me throughout my life.

Who is the most important person in your life?

My family are the most important people in my life. They love me unconditionally and have always supported me. We share our lives with each other. We work together, adventure together, and grow together. They are my closest friends and will always be there for me.

The most important things in my life are the relationships I have with the people around me and how I treat others. Whether it be with adults or peers, I have made it my goal to show kindness before criticism and encouragement before envy, ultimately trying to be the student-athlete that young boys and girls can look up to, just as I have with the driven, positive and impactful leaders that have come before me.

Who is the most important person in your life?

The most important people in my life are my parents. They have worked hard day in and day out to provide for me and my brother and give us the greatest chance to achieve our dreams. Not a day goes by that I am not thankful for their unconditional support, empathy toward others and role they played in becoming the person I am today.

One of the most important things in my life is dance because I have been doing it for more than 10 years and I have learned a lot of life lessons and gotten stronger because of it.

Who is the most important person in your life?

The most important person in my life is my great grandma, Wanda Shelly, because she is a great role model. She has had a lot of medical issues over the years, and still remains active despite it all which is an inspiration to me.

What is the most important thing in your life?

My family is most important because they have taught me to stay true to who I am. Growing up as part of the minority in Lynden, I quickly learned that I was different from my peers in many ways. However, these differences never discouraged me from embracing my Punjabi heritage because my family, especially my parents, have emphasized the importance of holding onto our roots. Who is the most important person in your life?

My brother is the most important person in my life. His optimistic and uplifting attitude helps me frame the world in a way that creates hope.

Who is your role model?

My best friend, Alli Vankooten, is my role model. She is the most genuine and selfless person I know, and I am so grateful to have a person like her in my life. What do you hope to be doing in five years? In 10 years? In 20 years?

In five years, I hope to have completed my undergraduate at the Naval Academy, score well on the MCAT, and begin my first year of medical school at USU. In 10-20 years, I hope to have completed medical school and residency,

Vanessa Land

School: Mount Baker High School

Grade-point average: 4.0

What do you plan to do after high school? I plan on joining the United States Air Force after graduating. As a child, what was the first thing you wanted to become when you grew up?

Since I was a little girl, I have wanted to help people. Growing up me and my family were very tight-knit and they taught me the values of teamwork and lifting others up in the community. When I was younger I thought I would achieve this dream by owning my own fashion boutique and creating fashion that was both stylish and comfortable. As I grew I realized that I still wanted to own my own business but before that, I could really help my country and the people and communities I love by joining the military. I see what is going on in the world and I want to do my part to pro- tect this great country we live in.

What is the most important thing in your life?

The most important thing in my life is my faith.

Who is the most important person in your life?

The most important people in my life are my parents. I don’t have the words to describe how much they mean to me and how they have shaped my life. They are incredibly selfless, humble, intelligent, and the coolest people I know. I feel blessed every day to call them my parents.

What are your career plans?

I plan on being in the military for several years as well as completing a bachelor’s degree in college along the way. I am going to use my skills in English, science, and math to have a job in either intelligence or airfield and command while I am in the Air Force. After my time in the Air Force, I plan on opening my own boutique to fulfill my childhood dream.

What is the greatest thing you gained from your K-12 experience? What is the greatest thing you gained from attending your high school?

The greatest thing I gained from my schooling experience is the ability to dream and believe that I can fulfill those dreams. All throughout my schooling I have had the most amazing teachers who have always supported me in anything I said that I wanted to do, whether that was an author, business owner, or military member. They allowed me to be