Senior Spotlight: Kayde Bennett and Lance Trotter
For today’s edition of Senior Spotlight, Sarah interviewed Kayde Bennett and Lance Trotter!
Kayde Bennett is in the Agriculture Pathway and hopes to enter diesel mechanics. When I asked her why she chose this field, she said, “It's something new every day; it's not repetitive. My dad is a diesel mechanic. You work on your own time, and you're not stuck in an office all day.”
Kayde participated in the Mechanics class through GAVC. “We did things like rebuilding an engine, so it was very hands-on. I got to experience for myself something I enjoyed enough to participate in. You get a lot of first-person experience. It's different from being in a classroom and being taught because you're actually doing it yourself. You're the teacher.”
Kayde is planning on going to a trade school after graduation to learn about diesel mechanics and plans on working afterward through the Peoria 649 Union. When asked to give advice to underclassmen, she said, “Try to be involved in as many things as you can. There is something for everyone.” Kayde has participated in softball all four years of high school and serves as a leader for everyone on the team for her final senior season. Good luck, Kayde!
Next, I interviewed Lance Trotter. He is in both the Life Science and Fine Arts Pathways, with hopes of being a postal service worker, which he can begin upon receiving his high school diploma. He has done a lot of job shadowing in various different positions, such as an athletic trainer, which was a job he used to want. However, he changed his mind after job shadowing: “I think for me, it was about getting that hands-on experience and realizing that maybe this wasn't something I wanted to do and shopping around for different things to do, which is easy when you’re at Williamsfield High School.”
He has had lots of coaching experience and plans to job shadow someone in the postal service. He has a passion for photography, and he hopes to someday do this on the side.
When I asked Lance about his overall experience here, he said, “I think it's hard to get started, but in the end, it's worth it. When you're a Freshman, nobody wants to put themselves out there and get these experiences, but as a Senior, it's really helpful to know things about your future, and this is a head start to pursuing that."
To advise the underclassmen, he said, “Make sure you don't procrastinate. Get out and get different experiences. I used to want to be a sports broadcaster, and now I'm at postal service. Getting out there and learning what you want is huge.” Lance has participated in things like Golf, Baseball, STEM, and Student Council over his four years of high school. Good luck, Lance, we’re all rooting for you!
Be on the lookout for future Senior Spotlight segments by Sarah Brown!