Gwen Piette

Parents: Emily and Owen Piette

Cumulative GPA and Class Rank: 3.85 GPA, 6th in class

Activities: Throughout high school, I have been involved in Future Business Leaders of America, where I am the secretary; the National Honor Society, where I hold the title of secretary; student council, where I am the secretary; marching band, jazz band, concert band, pep band, honor bands, concert choir, honor choirs, solo and ensemble for band and choir, musicals, plays; competition speech, where I have gone to state with five different events; co-running a tutoring program; and yearbook.

Other clubs outside of school: Outside of school, I participate in a multitude of activities: two 4-H clubs, 4-H County Council, 4-H Junior Camp, where I was a camp counselor, my church, where I help run a nursery, attend Collide with City Point Church, have gone to Iowa Girls State Auxiliary, participate in the FIRST Tech Challenge, the community theater, where I either act or do costuming, and my town’s summer reading program.

Future plans: My future plans include attending the University of Iowa and to receive a Bachelor of Business Administration with a focus on international business. After getting my bachelor’s degree, I plan to go to law school at Drake University to get my Juris Doctorate and become a patent lawyer. I hope to intern at a firm during my time at law school, giving me an experience that will allow me to familiarize myself with the intricacies of legal practice before joining a firm full-time once my schooling is completed.

How will your high school experiences help you in coming years? Throughout high school, I have participated in a multitude of activities and have held leadership positions in the majority of them. Some of them are the National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America, FIRST Tech Challenge, and student council. These activities have taught me various abilities such as public speaking, technical skills, business administration, and leadership skills. The ability to be a leader will help me in my future endeavors, for leadership is a much-needed quality to have in life.

Fondest memory of high school? My fondest memory of high school was during musical practice for Newsies, this year’s musical. During this time, the lead and I had to learn choreography for the songs. However, I had to learn how to dance with the crutch my character used, and dancing is not the lead’s strong suit. Eventually we got the dancing down; however, there were lots of sore feet and laughs along the way.

Which teachers have had the biggest impact on you and why? The teacher who has had the biggest impact on me is Mr. James Higdon. He teaches high school language arts and media production. Through the years of being in his classes, he has pushed me to be a better student, as well as encouraging me to look at the bigger picture of the world around me through engaging students in meaningful conversations that go beyond the curriculum and into the world.

Who is your role model and how did they influence you? My role model is the head 4-H Youth Coordinator for Washington County, Amy Green. During my time in 4-H, Amy has been very involved in everything I’ve participated in. From making sure that emails are sent knowing deadlines for activities, to helping with the Washignton 4-H County Council and setting up activities with them, to keeping updated on every kid that has passed through 4-H through the years and watching their achievements outside of 4H as well, she always greets everyone with a smile and remembers their name. Amy has influenced me to be a better person for those around me. To act with kindness, reliability, optimism, and generosity.

What is special about your high school? My high school is special because of the connections that are built between faculty and students. We are a smaller school with classes not exceeding sixty people. This means that students get more one-on-one time with teachers, making sure that no one slips through the cracks and is everyone held accountable.

If you go back to when you were a freshman, what advice would you give yourself? My freshman year I was homeschooled. If I was to go back and give myself some advice, I would say, don’t worry about trying super hard to stay friends with everyone. If they are your true friends, they will stick around.