2023 Senior profiles

Air Force As he watches the planes take off from an Air Force aircraft carrier, Momo Abu-Nader, senior, imagines himself in the pilot's seat. Whether it's flying a plane or doing maintenance on AirForce jets he has a great attraction to it.  Abu-Nader said ever since he was a child he has wanted to fly planes. He had a passion for joining the military in any branch and chose to combine his two inte...

Undecided Audio Engineering Devon Bennett doesn’t want you to call him a SoundCloud rapper. “I can’t be mad at anybody,” Bennett, senior, said. “But I feel like people have this idea of what it means when I say I make music. But then they hear it, and they understand [it a little more].” The soon-to-be KHS graduate has been making and releasing music since he was in middle scho...

Ranken Technical College Control Systems Technology Quincy Daniels, senior, said he always knew he wasn’t meant to go the traditional post-high school route. Ever since he was a kid, Daniels said he’d watch his dad, a construction worker, complete woodworking projects at home. Last summer affirmed Daniels’ decision when he interned for a construction company. “I am more of a hands-o...

College: Flight School (undecided) Major: Aviation After restlessly camping out in a tent overnight, Nick DePalma, senior, gets ready for battle. He puts on his uniform, grabs his supplies and prepares to start his day. He and his unit crawl through tall grass and hedgerows, preparing to storm a town of German soldiers. The unit’s Jeep rolls onto the field. DePalma is immediately thrown into the...

University of Kentucky (committed for track) Major: undecided  Heart pounding, Genesis Dixon gets into place waiting for the sound of the gun to signal her to start running. Although track was not her first sport, or even her top sport until now, Dixon will be attending the University of Kentucky to compete at the Division I level.  Dixon started running when she was 10-years-old, even though karate and basket...

Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville Pharmaceutical Studies  Thao-Vi Do sits in her room pondering what to wear for prom. She scrolls online and considers all her options until she remembers that every single school dress she has ever worn has been provided for her from JJ’s House, a dress company.  “I’ve collaborated with 18 companies [for my art],” Do said. “My favorite ...

Future Plan: Realtor In order to sell a house you have to find the house that caters to the person's needs or wants. Aaliyah Earl, senior, plans to use this tactic and promote herself as a young realtor. While others may find real estate to be an unrealistic goal straight out of high school, Earl views this challenge as pursuing her passion.  Earl said she is sick of school and having to be behind a des...

St. Louis Community College - Meramec Art and Design  Engine purring, wheels turning, tracks burning. All aboard the Dylan Ervin Train. Dylan Ervin, senior, loves anything and everything about one thing: trains. Trains have consumed his everyday lifestyle, from the people he knows to his signature engineer’s hat he wears on a daily basis. “As far back as I can remember, my grandfathe...

Undecided  International Business             Maeve Heaney, senior, sits at the airport gate alone, letting her thoughts run wild when reality hits. She realizes once she lands in Germany, she will be on her own for the next 10 months. “It didn’t hit me how long I was staying until I was actually at the airport,” Heaney said. “I realized that I’m going to be gone for every holida...

Post school plans: Broadway The sun is shining and a warm wind is blowing as Spencer Jones, senior, sits on the steps of his front porch. Promising he’ll be right back, he steps inside his house for a moment and returns seconds later holding an acoustic guitar. Smiling, Jones effortlessly strums an upbeat tune and begins singing along.  Jones has been a performer his entire life. He sings, dance...

University of Memphis Computer Science When opposing football and baseball teams arrive at KHS, there is one player who is always circled on their scouting reports: Tyler Macon. According to KHS varsity football head coach, Jeremy Maclin, Macon’s skills have made him one of the best athletes to walk the halls of KHS.  “First and foremost, he’s athletic,” Maclin said. “His want and will t...

Going into the Marines Honor, courage and commitment — three values Mary McLaughlin will uphold once she joins the United States Marine Corp after graduation.  McLaughlin’s training process began in December 2022, when she started attending workouts at a military training facility. Though she wasn’t given an authoritative role at first, she stepped up when her leader dropped out during...

Northwestern University Percussion Performance and Social Policy Lily Mitchell, senior, walks onto the football field with her snare drum, lining up with the rest of the drumline. She begins to march, in sync with the lively music surrounding her. She joins the rest of the ensemble as they travel across the sunlit turf. Mitchell said she saw band as a new opportunity to have fun and meet new people. ...

Since the age of two, Charlie Munroe has been on the ice. As a self-described lockdown defenseman, he played AAA hockey with his Blues team and Kirkwood hockey. Charlie said his dream has always been to play Division I hockey, so he is going to play junior hockey in Canada as a stepping stone to college. His sister, Izzy Munroe, junior, said he’s always dedicated to everything he does. “It's ...

Washington University in St. Louis Psychology and Gender and Sexuality studies Absorbing each bit of knowledge found in the poster-ridden classroom run by Gina Woodard, Peyton Nico, senior, took a particular interest in health class. Nico said they found the class much more intriguing  than other students, since health is a graduation requirement and does not tend to be a favorite class to many. Woo...

Case Western Reserve University Chemical Engineering & Cello Performance It starts with a single note. A woman with curly, brown hair draws one string across another to make a low, droning sound. The note crescendos into a harmony, a symphony, as dozens of people work in perfect coordination to make a mesmerizing accord of sounds.  Throughout high school, Luisa Parker, senior, ha...

Returning to KHS as a part of the Super Senior program  Thomas Pickert starts his early morning with a smile on his face. He stares out the window on the way to school, dreaming of his summer in Ireland or watching the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. Dr. Morgan Clough, Special Education Teacher, waits for him at the door to the classroom. Entering the room, Pickert’s face lights up, and so doe...

Modeling in New York City with NEXT Modeling Agency Dumb models, scammers and body issues: Elizabeth Riti, senior, is no stranger to the stereotypes of the modeling industry. After all, she’s been posing for photoshoots and walking runways for the past five years. While some horror stories in the modeling industry have truth behind them, Riti said overall the creative industry is inspiring and a...

University of Oregon Botany The air is warm and his hopes are high. As sweat drips down his face, his love for backpacking grows within each step. Arther has loved it since his first trip in the womb, according to his mother, and he hasn’t gone back since.  Arthur Shrenk, senior, has backpacked in different spots around the country and plans to continue when he graduates. Backpacking ca...

College: Missouri Baptist University Major: Undecided When she’s not busy working at Schnucks, watching WWE or doing TikTok dances, Morgan Trembath, senior, can usually be found making friends as part of the Best Buddies program. Trembath has been in the club since middle school, and said her favorite part is spending time with her friends, her closest being Gia Borbonus, senior and presiden...

Not attending college George Upmeyer, senior, is not going to college. Instead, he has decided to continue lifting, practice woodworking and shadow real estate agents.  “I hate school,” Upmeyer said. “I can’t stand it, so I figured I would get experience doing something hands-on. If I don’t like that, then I’ll find another career path or I might go to college later. But, as of n...

University of Missouri or Loyola University Chicago Pre-Med As a girl who has been accustomed to change her whole life, the idea of leaving her immediate family in Germany to pursue a new lifestyle was not at all terrifying for Madison Zhou. As Zhou, senior, endured the 12 hour flight from Frankfurt, Hessen in Germany to St. Louis, Missouri, she only had her future in mind.  Zhou has live...