Pekin senior Graci Coble

This week the spotlight is on Graci Coble. She is the daughter of Eric and Andrea Coble. She has one brother Solomon.

While in school Graci was involved in FCCLA, FFA, FBLA, Spanish Club, National Honor Society, Pekin Rising Ruritans, Choir, Volleyball, Basketball, Winter Volleyball, Softball, and Cross-Age Mentoring. She has also worked at Walker’s Drive-Thru and the Pekin Childcare Center.

What's your favorite school memory/OR what will you remember the most? Back in our 8th grade TAG class, there was something wrong with the ceiling one day. Mr. Blakely grabbed a ladder and climbed up it to fix the ceiling. He lost his balance and ended up falling onto the table below him. He was totally fine, but everyone got a good laugh out of it!

If you could go back and change one thing, what would it be? If I could change one thing, it would be the fact that I wished time away. When I was a freshman, I always said that I just wanted to be done with high school. Now, that I am almost done with high school, I wish I could be a freshman again!

Finish this sentence: "I could not live without..." My dad.

What's the best and/or worst thing about being a senior? The best thing about being a senior is the fact that I will completely start over next August. I will have new teachers, new friends, and even a new home. I was terrified about this at the beginning of the year, but now, I am grateful for this opportunity!

Which teacher or staff member has had the biggest impact on you and why? Ms. Coffin, I have had her since my seventh-grade year. She has always been so caring, kind, and compassionate about her students. She really is the most kindhearted lady that I know. She will forever hold a special place in my heart. Ms. Jones came to Pekin the second semester of my senior year. She has only been my teacher for about three months, but in those short months, she has made a tremendous impact on me. Ms. Jones is the epitome of an outstanding teacher who goes above and beyond for her students.

Advice to incoming high school freshmen: Do not wish time away! It goes by SO fast.

What are your plans after graduation? I have been accepted to William Penn University. I will be attending William Penn in the Fall of 2024 to obtain my Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education. Along with this I will also acquire a Special Education Endorsement and a Reading Endorsement. My grandmother, grandfather, mother, and aunt are/were all teachers. I have grown up around the educational field. I have known I have wanted to be a teacher since I was a little girl playing school in my mom’s classroom before and after school. I am infatuated with this field of study. My overall goal in life is to shape young minds and be the best role model for them. I have seen firsthand how a positive learning environment can make a large impact on a child’s life, and my hope is to provide this for my future classroom.

What is one outrageous thing you want to try in your lifetime? One outrageous thing that I want to experience is swimming with sharks. I have wanted to do this since I was a little girl!

If you could move anywhere in the world, where would you go AND why? If I could move anywhere, it would be to Florida because I love the sun and basking in the sun!

Who has been your biggest influence AND why? My dad has been the biggest inspiration in my life. He did not have an easy life growing up, but he used that as motivation and made a powerful name for himself. My father is the most caring, compassionate, and generous person that I know. I will be eternally grateful that God chose him as my father.