Photo by Erin Nelson.
Seniors around the area have finally reached the finish line of their high school careers and are getting ready to toss their caps at their graduation ceremonies this month.
In honor of their accomplishments, 280 Living spoke to several upcoming graduates to find out about which teachers impacted them the most, achievements they have received, what they will miss most about high school and their plans for the future.
ABBY O’DELL
OAK MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL: ABBY O’DELL
Abby has attended Oak Mountain schools since kindergarten. She takes all AP classes and was voted Homecoming Queen by her peers.
Q: What teacher or teachers have had the most impact on you?
A: I could sit here forever and list all my teachers, to be honest. Mrs. Bittinger (“Mrs. B”) at OMHS. She teaches honors pre-calculus, and this year for AP Calculus she teaches a really hard curriculum but makes it much easier. She’s always available for help and everyone loves her. She gives me time to work through the problems and understand it, so we’ll be prepared for the exam at the end of the year.
Also, Mrs. Lancaster in third grade OMES. She's had a big impact on me. She always believed in me when I was a young third grader and knew I'd go on to do big things.
Q: What activities are you involved in? What achievements or awards have you received?
A: I serve as Student Government Association president and am a member of Peer Helpers, Oak Mountain Ambassadors and Beta Club, and I am a graduate of Leadership Shelby County. I received the Shelby County Character in Action award in eighth grade and currently lead a bible study for eighth graders.
I have been playing volleyball since fifth grade. I was co-captain of the varsity volleyball team, participated in my third year of bowling and played club volleyball for the North Alabama Spiker’s Association (NASA).
Q: What has been the most exciting/stressful part of your senior year?
A: Deciding which college to go to. I have been deciding between Auburn and Mississippi State and have decided to attend Auburn.
Q: What will you miss most about high school?
A: The overall school spirit that OMHS has. We do a lot of stuff as a school, and I will miss being a part of that and participating as a student.
Q: What are your plans after high school?
A: I’m interested in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn and majoring in industrial and systems engineering. I want to make overall company enhancements and make businesses work faster and more efficiently through time management and cost management.
Q: How do you feel OMHS has prepared you for your journey ahead?
A: It’s been quite challenging overall to succeed at OMHS, and I think the challenge of the courses and different things we do have prepared me to face some challenging things in college and beyond. We do a lot of group work and hands-on experiences, which I think will help me in college and in the future.
Q: What's your favorite student event or tradition?
A: Homecoming. Everyone gets together and it’s big on class unity. The athletic games, donation competitions, dress up days, making the float for the parade, the football game and the dance.
OMHS guidance counselor Leigh Huff described Abby as a bright, well-rounded young woman who excels in everything she is involved in.
“Abby has a strong work ethic,” Huff said. “Whether it be in the classroom, a student organization, or on the volleyball court, if Abby is involved, she is going to give 100%. She is a team player in all aspects of life. She is respectful, humble, honest, and a great communicator and a leader who strives to do her best and make a positive impact on those around her. Abby is an active member of our community and always finds a way to give back. She is always looking to serve to make her community better and always treats others with respect and kindness.”
AHMED DIALLO
CHELSEA HIGH SCHOOL: AHMED DIALLO
Ahmed was born in Brooklyn, New York, and lived his early years in Guinea. He first attended Homewood City Schools, where he only spoke French and Fulani as a kindergartner but quickly picked up the English language. He moved to Chelsea in 2016 and has attended Chelsea schools since sixth grade. He has taken AP classes throughout high school.
Q: What teacher or teachers have had the most impact on you?
A: Serra Smith, my English teacher in 9th and 11th grades. I had her twice, so she made double the impact. Her classroom was an open environment for learning. She had control over her class and it was a place where you could share how you felt and opinions were respected. She really connected with her students.
Q: What activities are you involved in? What achievements or awards have you received?
A: I’m a peer Helper officer, a member of National Honor Society and a member of Distributive Education Clubs of America (formerly FBLA). I played varsity basketball and ran track. I have done karate since third grade and currently participate in kickboxing.
Q: What has been the most stressful part of your senior year?
A: I was in a car accident on Jan. 18. It felt like it made my senior year three times longer. I was in the hospital for a week and missed school. I couldn’t run track. However, I feel like it gave me time to reflect on how fleeting life is and how quickly it can be taken away, and I feel like it made me appreciate life a lot more.
Q: What will you miss most about high school?
A: I will miss the community. I’ve been part of so many clubs like Peer Helpers, basketball and track. I made a lot of connections with a lot of people and I most likely won’t see a lot of them again.
Q: What are your plans after high school?
A: I will be attending Northeastern in Boston. They have a 7% acceptance rate and are in the top 40 colleges in the U.S. I chose it because of their co-op part of the curriculum, where for two semesters they pair you up with a company in partnership with the school, so you work at a company during the school year. At graduation, I will have a four-year degree and one full year of experience. I want to study computer science and become a quantitative analyst. Boston is a big city with a lot of young academics and surrounding schools. I wanted to have a different experience than those around me and am blessed to be able to choose that.
Q: How do you feel CHS has prepared you for your journey ahead?
A: It’s been able to provide me with a lot of clubs and sports opportunities. There’s a solid community in a lot of clubs where you’re encouraged to try your best by teachers and peers. There’s a culture of education and community. Everyone knows everyone. Trying your best is looked upon as good, and AP and honors classes are very accessible.
Q: What's your favorite student event or tradition?
A: IMPACT Day. As Peer Helpers, we have a full day where we invite students to come and break down the social barriers at the school, tackle prejudice and make the community better by talking and communicating with students. We also host mental health week and try to tackle some of the things high schoolers deal with like depression, anxiety and stress.
Q: What are some of your hobbies?
A: Kickboxing, reading and anime.
EVAN HOUSER
SPAIN PARK HIGH SCHOOL: EVAN HOUSER
Evan was Spain Park’s junior Finley Award representative last year and plays on the varsity basketball team.
He originally attended elementary school at Creekview Elementary in Alabaster, then Phillips Academy in Birmingham before his family moved to Greystone, where he began at Greystone Elementary in second grade and has been in the Hoover City School system since.
Q: What teacher or teachers have had the most impact on you?
A: I’ve had so many meaningful and impactful teachers that it’s hard for me to select just a few, but I do have some favorites. Mrs. Murphree was my third grade teacher at Greystone, and even though it was so long ago, she is still one of my favorites. In elementary school, I was a big crybaby, but Mrs. Murphree always stuck up for me. Mr. Parker, Mrs. Wallace and Mrs. DiChiara are probably the teachers in high school that have had the biggest impact on me. When I was a freshman and joined Model UN ,having no idea what I was doing, Mr. Parker steered me in the right direction, and now as vice president I have successfully participated in numerous debates and Model UN competitions. Mrs. Wallace and Mrs. DiChiara are probably the sweetest people I know; they have helped me so much in school and helped me with college admissions. I am extremely thankful for them taking the time to appreciate me as a student and help me become who I am today.
Q: What activities are you involved in? What achievements or awards have you received?
A: I have played on the Spain Park basketball team all four years of high school, where we have been to three straight Final Fours and won three straight regional and area championships. As a part of the team, I have been named a Scholar-Athlete for a 4.0+ GPA. I currently serve as president of Spain Park’s senior class and I have served as class president for the past four years. I also serve as vice president of my school's Model UN club, president of the school's National Honor Society chapter and senior representative of Key Club. I lead a community service organization called CleanHoover, which organizes environmental cleanups and encourages teenagers to get involved in preserving their local surroundings. This past summer, I served as an intern at a biomedical engineering lab at UAB. I am a member of seven different honor societies (Math, Latin, History, Science, National, Speech and Debate and Computer Science) and was named an Academic Letterman twice. I was selected as a recipient of the National African American Recognition Award, named a PSAT commended student and an AP Scholar with Honor for my AP and PSAT scores.
Q: What has been the most exciting/stressful part of your senior year?
A: The college admissions process. It’s exciting to see where I will end up, but the process of writing so many essays, waiting painstakingly for decisions and ultimately trying to decide the best option is extremely stressful.
Q: What will you miss most about high school?
A: I am really going to miss all of the friends I made at Spain Park. I feel as if I have made a connection with almost everyone in my class and it’s sad knowing that I won't be seeing many of them for a long time. I cherish all the memories I made with friends over the past four years, so going to college will definitely be an adjustment. I will also miss all of the teachers who have got me to where I am today. Every teacher I had has made a lasting impact on me, and I am going to miss how friendly and helpful every teacher at Spain Park has been to me.
Q: What are your plans after high school?
A: After high school, I plan to attend a four-year university for a major in biomedical engineering and then go on to medical school to become a immunologist. Currently, I am undecided on where I will attend, as I have been blessed and extremely fortunate to have been accepted into 22 different universities, including seven top-20 colleges. Right now I am currently deciding between Vanderbilt, Columbia, Cornell and the United States Naval Academy, but it will be pretty difficult for me to make a final decision.
Q: How do you feel Spain Park has prepared you for your journey ahead?
A: Taking a mostly AP/advanced course load at Spain Park has prepared me for the rigor and level of work associated with college classes. Other than just schooling and academics, Spain Park has taught me how to foster connections and develop meaningful relationships. I feel confident that my experience at Spain Park will allow me to succeed no matter what.
Q: What's your favorite student event or tradition?
A: My favorite student event is definitely pep rallies. I love the energy as the entire basketball gym is filled to the brim with 1,600 students. At our pep rallies, cheerleaders perform, we celebrate our sports team accomplishments, our dance team performs and we even get students to participate in games. It is Spain Park tradition to play the Ice Cream and Cake song at our pep rallies, and it’s pretty cool knowing that when I was a freshman I had no idea how to do the dance and now I would consider myself a pro. We always end pep rallies with our spirit stick competition (seniors rule) and our alma mater.
Q: Do you have any hobbies and/or a job?
A: In my free time, I love to weightlift, run, read and play video games with my friends. I am always trying to pick up new skills and I have been trying to teach myself how to play piano on a new keyboard I got for Christmas. I have worked at the Greystone Country Club’s pool and tennis shop for the past year and a half, but I now work at the Jersey Mike’s on U.S. 280.
Photo courtesy of Alexa Grace Lindley.
ALEXA GRACE LINDLEY
BRIARWOOD CHRISTIAN SCHOOL: ALEXA GRACE LINDLEY
Alexa Grace has attended Briarwood Christian from kindergarten through 12th grade.
Q: What teacher or teachers have had the most impact on you?
A: Mrs. Kimberly Kolling has impacted me as an individual in ways unimaginable. Her love and intentionality towards her students is amazing. Every time I stepped into her classroom, she brought me the most joy. She got to know each of her students on a personal level and made me feel so seen. I’m so grateful to have had her my sophomore year for Algebra 2.
Q: What activities are you involved in? What achievements or awards have you received?
A: As a senior, I have been an Alabama Girls State representative; a member of the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, the Student Government Association, the Lionettes dance team and the Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church student leadership team; co-captain of the Lionettes Dance Team; a delegate at-large of the executive SGA board; a soprano section leader and member of Radica Show Choir; and a soprano section leader and dance captain in the Karis Show Choir.
In previous years, I was also a Briarwood student ambassador, National Spanish Honors Society member, SGA class president and executive chaplain, the backstage manager for the theater department and a member of the STARS Over Alabama.
Q: What has been the most exciting/stressful part of your senior year?
A: It was definitely stressful deciding which college I was going to attend, but it was also a very exciting transition period looking ahead to college. Senior year is so exciting because everyone has grown so much closer, and there are so many “lasts.”
Q: What will you miss most about high school?
A: I will definitely miss getting to see my mom at school and show choir. My mom is an English teacher at Briarwood, and I love getting to visit her classroom. In addition, choir has been my most favorite extracurricular activity in high school. It is the sweetest group of people, and Mrs. Mixon is the best choir director!
Q: What are your plans after high school?
A: I plan to attend the University of Alabama and have committed to the musical theater program with a double major in political science. My goal is to attend law school and become a divorce and child custody attorney.
Q: How do you feel Briarwood has prepared you for your journey ahead?
A: I feel that Briarwood has prepared me very well. I have learned how to encounter different situations and different types of people.
Q: What's your favorite student event or tradition?
A: My favorite student events were our home football games. The whole student section is so encouraging and has so much spirit towards our school and players.
Q: Do you have any hobbies and/or a job?
A: I am a choreographer for Briarwood’s drama department and a dance team prep teacher. Teaching is my passion, and I have loved using my gifts to help younger students.
