Class of 2022 | Senior Stories

Growth in Personal Leadership

Julianna Sizemore’s journey at Highlands Latin School has been an amazing story of personal growth and leadership. Julianna plans to attend Samford University to major in nursing and minor in nutrition, with the hope of later becoming a maternity nurse.

“Even though it’s a small community, there are a lot of different opportunities to step into leadership roles,” said Julianna. “It’s really cool to see that this is the Lord’s path for me, and that to see where He’s calling me to go is exactly fit for who I am.”

Building Upon a Strong Foundation

August Rothpletz has been a student at Highlands Latin School since kindergarten. He is very thankful for the strong foundation of learning that HLS has provided, giving him many opportunities to use his skills to help the community. After graduation, August plans to attend Baylor University with a major in computer science and a minor in entrepreneurship.

“HLS has fostered within me a natural curiosity through the way it structures its certainly challenging workload,” said August. “They have shown me what it looks like to keep doing what is good, true, and beautiful, even when everyone else is doing something different.”

A Love that Sends Us Out and Calls Us Home

Meseret Bitner started at Highlands Latin School in second grade but transferred out before her freshman year. Returning just a year later she realized how much she missed the culture and intimacy here, saying, “It felt like going right back home.” After graduation Meseret aspires to be a pediatric nurse practitioner so that she can meet people’s physical and spiritual needs.

“HLS has not just been a random school I’ve gone to. It’s been like my second home,” said Meseret. “I’m just really thankful for their love for me and their love for the Lord, and for encouraging me to love the Lord too.”

Flying High With A New Outlook

Christian Sewell has been a student at Highlands Latin School since the ninth grade. Throughout his life, Christian’s parents always taught him to look at the end goal and work hard for it. HLS helped cultivate Christian’s commitment to goals and the future, including his goal of becoming a pilot. Christian will either be pursuing Liberty University or Middle Tennessee State to become a professional airline transport pilot.

“Flying gives me an outside view,” said Christian. “I’m up high in the sky and it gives me an outside perspective of what I should view of the future. And hopefully the future is something positive.”

Perseverance and Service

Avery Hanel has been a student at Highlands Latin School since kindergarten. HLS has shown Avery how to move forward in life with the confidence that comes from knowing that hard work and perseverance pay off. From applying to be a Head of House to taking all AP classes her junior year, she has always risen to any challenge and wanted to prove to herself that she can do it. As Head of House for Saint Andrew, Avery has focused on service and caring for others in order to leave HLS better than she found it. She’ll be attending Western Kentucky University with majors in nursing and special-needs communication.

“HLS has felt like a lifetime. It’s felt like I’ve learned so many lessons here,” said Avery. “The only thing that kept me going was the little interactions. Every person has given me something, and for that I’m really grateful.”

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