Mead

Chester challenges herself to improve

COURTESY

Alesandra Chester is described by her Mead High School counselor as an “outstanding” student. Chester will attend Gonzaga University in the fall.

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Newcomer from New Jersey earns place at Mead High as track and field team captain and yearbook editor

By Cindy Hval

FOR THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Alesandra “Allie” Chester saw a lot of the country during her family’s long journey from New Jersey to Washington at the start of her sophomore year in high school.

“We were in shock at how friendly everyone was in Eastern Washington,” she recalled.

The move was necessitated when her father took a job at Gonzaga University.

“The East Coast is very fastpaced,” she said. “Here people would stop at the store and have conversations with us. It was a big difference.”

She didn’t let those cultural differences slow her down when she enrolled at Mead High School.

“I challenged myself to get involved as much as possible.”

Her enthusiasm and involvement made her stand out among her peers.

“She was the first student that came to mind when I thought of outstanding students,” said Mead counselor Jody Harkness. “She’s a strong influence and positive leader in our school community. She epitomizes the true meaning of a humanitarian giving of her time, energy and aligning her moral compass for the greater good of others.”

In New Jersey, Chester had been active in her school’s crew team. Mead didn’t have a crew team, so she looked elsewhere to find her fit – and her fitness.

“I tried track and field and joined the yearbook team,” she said.

Track kept her in shape, while the yearbook team gave her an entry into Mead.

“I got to interview people around the school, and it got me out of my comfort zone and built my confidence,” Chester said.

She didn’t miss a beat academically, either.

“Allie jumped into our biomedical program and did a fantastic job,” Harkness said.

Science is her passion.

“I was in a similar program in New Jersey,” Chester said. “I love science. A lot of it is based on what you see. You find the truth and facts, but there’s a certain amount of ambiguity.”

Anatomy, in particular, captivated her.

“I’m intrigued by how all the parts of the body work together like a well-oiled machine.”

She credits the Breakthrough class she took during her junior year as pivotal in bolstering her confidence and leadership abilities. Chester served as captain on the track team and is an editor on the yearbook staff.

“I’m a peer coach in the Breakthrough class this year, so I get to give back what I learned,” she said,

While COVID-19 rocked many students as they transitioned from in-person to virtual learning, and back again, Chester adapted to the changes with aplomb.

“Not only has she weathered COVID, but she’s constantly trying to better herself,” Harkness said.

Chester will attend Gonzaga University in the fall and has already signed onto the university’s crew team. She can’t wait to return to her happy place on the water as part of a rowing team.

She’s also looking forward to pursuing the sciences that so enthrall her.

“I know I want to be in pediatrics,” she said. “I don’t know whether that will be as a nurse practitioner, physicians assistant or pediatrician.”

Having made a cross-country move and adapted to a new lifestyle, she urges others to be open to the exciting possibilities scary changes can afford.

“Just be yourself, “she said. “You’ll find people who like and appreciate you for who you are.”

She’s certainly found that in the Mead community and beyond.

“When you talk to her you just feel better about the world,” Harkness said.”When life throws her a curveball, she continues to hit it out of the park.”

Cindy Hval can be reached at dchval@juno.com

Class of 2021

Expected to graduate are:

Kaveh Abghari Lukas Adair Daneisha Adams Eli Adams Emily Adams Aver Agloinga Eme Aguirre Jonathan Alder Joshua Allen Courtney Amann Trent Amann Jonah Amirkhas Thomas Anderson Alicia Araiza Greta Armstrong Nicole Arnold Melani Atha Gracie Atkinson Riley Ayala Andrew Babcock Jaden Baer Tanner Baker Kai Ballard Ethan Barker Samuel Barnes Alyssa Barnufsky Joseph Batchelder Alyssa BeMiller Matthew Beauchemin Cole Bennett Nicole Bennett DaNeja Bjork Vanessa Black Charlotte Bloom Elizabeth Bloom Nicholas Boblick Emma Boharski Gage Boldt Nathanael Borjas Corbin Bowman Matthew Bowman Amaya Brannon Joshua Braun Alexander Briles Jayme Bronson Dane Brooks Connor Brophy Annie Brose Victoria Brown Ezekiel Bruner Garret Burdick Gavin Burdick Grace Burrows Brooklyn Butler Jack Byers Elias Caballero Nicolas Caballero Ayden Cannon Anthony Cao Kyler Carlson Grace Carlton Mason Carter Hazel Chambers Alesandra Chester Parker Colliver Carter Conley Wyatt Conley Caeden Corigliano Joanna Cox Hannah Crawford Moab Croft Phillip Dang Zada Danica Nyla Datig Chase Davey Raquel Davidson Taylor Davis Tyler Davis Devin Dean Angelo Decaro Levi Decker Joshua Demant Halli Densley Vincent Deubel Brennan Devaney Augustus Dinsmore Colby Dixon Bruno Donoso-Tapia Emma Downing William Downing Grace Dudash Kyla Duffey AJ Dufner James Dugenet Marc Dugenet Mara Duncan Jessica Dundas Jayden Dunivant Hayley Dye Haden Eastman Madison Ediger Joshua Eggleston Mateo Ekholm Jackson Ekstrom Nicholas Elliott Rileigh Elliott Spencer Elliott Kinsey Ellis Taylor Emery Kylie Engebretson Lindsey Engles Niklaus Erb Tristan Estridge Bryan Evans Jamie Evans Amy Everett Aleena Fischer Bree Fischer Ethan Fleck Connor Fletcher Lauren Fontana Hannah Ford Xavierra Foster Zakyla Foster Jamela Foutch Patrick Fricano Nalani Funkugub Quinn Gamon Torrin Gaspard Kasia Giesa-Saito Caden Gillis Abigail Godwin Travis Goldman Alexandra Gonzales Michael Gonzales Alissa Goodnight Jordan Goodwin Kayla Gooler Brian Goss Jeremy Gradin Ethan Granat Carson Gravatt

Adams MEAD HIGH SCHOOL

Sudderth Thompson VanLandingham Volz Ward Whanger Workman Zvonar

Graduation

The Mead High School commencement will be at 5 p.m. June 18 at Union Stadium, 12509 N. Market St., Spokane.

Principal: Jeff Naslund.

Valedictorians: Emily Adams, Nicole Arnold, Matthew Beauchemin, Charlotte Bloom, Josh Braun, Ayden Cannon, Caeden Corigliano, Raquel Davidson, Joshua Demant, Marc Dugenet, Madison Ediger, Bryan Evans, Hannah Ford, Jillian Holbrook, Quincy Iverson, Gabriel Kennedy-Gibbens, Sophie Koehler, Madison Leale, Britney Lewis, Lane Lorenz, Dominick Macauley, Camryn Magers, Jordan Mattox, Emma Meidl, Jonathan Morasch, Morgan Parker, Lydia Piacquadio, Mekynzie Prescott, Cassondra Rutherford, Llona Sapelkina, Gabriel Selden, William Starley, Natalie Starr, Megan Sudderth, Emma Thompson, Hadley VanLandingham, Alisa Volz, Paulina Ward, ElsaVaughn Whanger, Bailey Workman and Lucia Zvonar.