When Keira Fawson walks across the stage Saturday to receive her diploma as one of seven valedictorians for Iola High School’s Class of 2024, she’ll likely think back to the day in fifth grade when she decided to become a better student.
“I’d never really stressed about my grades before,” Fawson said. “I thought I had pretty good grades. I’d occasionally get a B or a C, but they weren’t bad.”
Then came that fateful day when her teacher announced that year’s Student Council members.
Fawson was heartbroken her name was not called. “All of my friends were selected, and I was sad I wasn’t.”
Then, an epiphany. Each of the students tapped for the StuCo roles had exemplary grades, Fawson quickly realized. Plus, they were active outside the classroom.
“That’s what started me setting a higher standard for myself,” she said.
Fawson cited one other motivating factor: Her older brothers.
No, they weren’t the inspirational types to stress the importance of studying, Fawson explained. Nor were they trouble-makers.
“But I was the tattling sister,” she laughed. “If they got a bad grade, I’d be the one to tattle about it.”
Then came another “ah-ha!” moment. Fawson, too, had a younger sibling.
“I figured I’d better do my best so it didn’t happen to me, too,” Fawson said. “I didn’t want to become an example of what not to do.”
Her grades improved, as Fawson went through middle school, and then into high school.
“Once I started developing the habits and standards to want to do my best, it was hard to lower that.”
FAWSON, daughter of Iolans Nathan and Robyn Fawson, will attend college at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where she hopes to study psychology.
Fawson picked BYU over her original dream, attending Utah Tech, where many of her relatives went to school, or to attend Allen Community College and play basketball.
