Jenna Gilmore

Parents: Jeff and Julie Gilmore

GPA: 3.964

Class rank: 7/119

Co-curricular activities: I have enjoyed participating in cross country and track for all 4 years of high school along with being involved in FCA.

Community activities: I have volunteered as a high school coach for the Southeast Iowa Youth Track and Field Camp. During Old Threshers I help with my church tent, as well as helping the Middle School with Camp Crooked Creek.

Future plans and goals: I plan to attend the University of Iowa in the fall and major in either Pre-Pharmacy or major in Health and Human Physiology.

How will your high school experiences help you in the coming years? I have learned many valuable lessons in all aspects of my life that have shaped me into who I am today. I am grateful for the people that have helped me along the way and will continue to carry their wisdom with me into the next chapter of my life.

Fondest memory of high school: There are many memories that have stuck with me throughout my high school career, but one that sticks out to me is junior year state track. I will never forget being able to compete on the blue oval with my sister and the Lamm sisters on the shuttle hurdle team.

Which teachers have had the biggest impact on you and why? I have had some of the best teachers throughout high school. They are always willing to help and guide in the right direction, in whatever it may be. They all have contributed to impacting me that I know have helped me in different aspects of my life. A couple teachers that stick out to me are Ms. Stater and Mrs. Anderson. They both have helped me to make the correct decisions for the next chapter of my life, as well as helped push me in my academics.

Who is your role model and how did they influence you? Someone who I have looked up to is my grandpa, Richard Peterson. He accomplished so much in his life, from bringing joy to many other people to creating a cross country program to growing a wonderful family. He taught me his love for nature and everything outdoors and I never take that for granted. His sense of humor was one of a kind, and he didn’t care what others thought of him. I try to carry many of his attributes into my everyday life within my character.

What is special about your high school? Mount Pleasant High School has many good qualities that help all of their students. The teachers are willing to go above and beyond to make sure that their students are being successful. There isn’t a student that gets left behind and everyone will get any help they need. I think we have a good atmosphere in the high school, which is created by both students and staff. Mount Pleasant High School’s goal is to see their students succeed and grow in order to achieve greater things beyond high school.

If you go back to when you were a freshman, what advice would you give yourself? I feel like every senior says, “High school flies by so quickly, don’t take a second of it for granted”, but this is the truth. I remember being told as a freshman that high school goes by so fast and I never really believed it. As a freshman it felt like there was so much time that had to pass before I graduated. There is definitely a lot to learn and experience in high school, and now, sometimes it feels like there wasn’t enough time. To any freshman my advice to them is; don’t wait until the last minute to have fun and enjoy yourself just because you aren’t an upperclassman. Enjoy the time you have because it will all flash before your eyes and you won’t have this time in your life back.