Humboldt seniors reflect on succeses

HUMBOLDT — Makalah McCall glanced into the crowd, spotted her parents, flashed a smile and clinched her fist in a victory sign on Saturday afternoon.
She had good reason, having just won the Warren and Shirley Breiner Scholarship, a $10,000 grant that will help the Humboldt High grad in her quest to be a nurse practitioner. The scholarship was McCall’s third announced at commencement exercises. She also won the Humboldt Lions Club and Nina McGee Fellers scholarships.
She will attend Neosho County Community College this fall to play basketball and study nursing, then continue her education at Pittsburg State. McCall also plans to join the Navy as a nurse.
Rayce Hoepker, who will play basketball at Allen Community College, Annalise Whitcomb, who will attend Fort Scott Community College on a volleyball scholarship, and Kira McReynolds, who is bound for Kansas State University to pursue a veterinary career, were co-valedictorians of the class of 2017, each with 4.0 grade point averages. Hoepker was recognized by the Lions Club for being the top-ranked boy; Whitcomb and McReynolds by the G.A.L.S.-F.C.E. for tying as the top girl. McReynolds also won the Monarch Academic Achievement Award.
John Hole II received the B&W Trailer Hitches, Inc. Scholarship. In giving the award, Joe Works, B&W owner, mentioned Hole had demonstrated mechanical and vocational expertise at Humboldt High, which led him to predict Hole had a future in manufacturing.
A number of other scholarships and awards were given to seniors during ceremonies on May 3.
At Saturday’s ceremony, students Whitcomb and Levi Habiger addressed their classmates.
“The majority of us have grown up in Humboldt, and a lot of people sitting in this room have watched us grow and develop through the years,” Whitcomb said. “For them, and us, it is hard to believe that graduation, the day that once seemed so far away, is here.”
She thanked family members and others for having helped each student accomplish what “would not have been possible without” their support.
“We should be thankful for our small-town roots, because they are what have shaped us into who we are today,” she continued. “We get more opportunities here that other students do not get at bigger schools … stereotypical groups such as jocks, nerds and cheerleaders do not exist.”
Speaking to those who will be seniors in the fall, and underclassmen, Whitcomb advised: “Be present at everything and do not miss out on the high school experience, because before you know it, you will be the ones sitting in these chairs …” waiting to receive a diploma. “But remember that you are the one that controls your own happiness, so choose to make the best of every day.”
“I believe that we will all be successful,” predicted Habiger. “Not once have I ever doubted any of our abilities to accomplish a huge goal.”
He admonished his peers to “take a moment and breathe. We have been so caught up with our futures that we forget to live in the present. I want us to realize that even though we are getting out into the real world, the future is never written and we cannot get so caught up with what might happen to or between us.”
As most go their separate ways, Habiger pointed out the 33 graduates “… will all still be connected … whether in our hearts or by our phones. No matter where we will be, we will all still be together.”