“It’s always fun to do something borderline illegal…”

What is your favorite memory of Woodford County? 

My favorite memory of Woodford County is seeing all of my teachers’ welcoming and eager faces as I walked down the hall every day, stopping to talk to someone every time, carrying on a conversation until I was super late to class, and getting a note every time, because there was nothing more excusable than catching up with a good friend.

What is one of your favorite things to do in Woodford County? 

My favorite thing to do in Woodford County has always been to hang out with my friends, going to Kroger, eating fruit gummies in parking lots, ferrying everyone who needed a ride home, and just being able to take care of someone however they needed to be taken care of that day. I miss being a readily available source of comfort and transportation for my friends.

What makes you smile? 

My friends, who are the loves and light of my life; I only need to see one of their stupid faces and I’m already in a good mood, just hanging out with each other in silence, knowing that I was understanding of them and that they understood me, that was enough to make me smile every day.

What is your favorite activity/hobby? 

Gossip and debate with my friends was the pastime I looked forward to more than anything else. Knowing that I had things to learn from them, and they, me was always exciting. I want to be able to get back together with them and just talk about nothing for hours until we all run on empty, and then maybe I can take them out for food and nap.

What is one of your favorite moments with your friends in Woodford County?

 It’s always fun to do something borderline illegal with a friend. I would always look back on the weird nights when I was driving around way too many people and keeping my parents on their toes for as to when I was going to be home. Ringer off, scaring a passerby and my passengers with my driving, crashing a parking lot to eat Chinese takeout, those are my favorite nights, where you get to know each other the best.

What would you say to people just moving to Woodford County? 

Good luck.

Describe your favorite place in Woodford County, in as much detail as possible?

Encircled in the arms of my friends. Singing bad and loud, voices breaking on the high notes, in the car with each other. Going shopping for the day. Waking up at six to travel together. Dedicating my life to the people I love. It’s not a place, it’s a feeling – Woodford County just happened to create it for me.

What is your goal in life, moving forward? 

I want to show everyone I meet with care, forgiveness, and love. I want to make people happy.

How has the last year of your life been?/How has it changed you? 

This is the year I realized I wanted to be a good person. This is the year I realized that the real purpose of life is to love and be loved, and this is the year I learned how to forgive. I owe this revelation to many, many people, but I’m proud of myself for reaching out and taking the opportunity to be better and to always try to be better to others. I’ve learned how to apologize, I’ve learned to realize when I’m being too mean, and I’m still working on not being a b*tch, honestly, but I know how to get over it sometimes, because who’s more deserving of forgiveness than ourselves?”

Who do you look up to, why?

 I don’t look up to anyone. We’re all equal, with flaws. We need to push each other up, not idolize each other.

What was your biggest learning experience? anything that changed the way you look at things? 

Honestly, just realizing my political ideals and morals as a person was the largest catalyst for the big psychological changes in my life. over the years, I’ve gone from complete and utter self-hatred, to pissed off at anyone talking to me, to being mean to too many people all the time, to realizing that I’m not the only person in the world with emotions. The more I opened my heart to others, the more I realized that I want to dedicate my life to the happiness of everyone I can reach.