Michael Lee
Iowa City West
ACT score: 35
GPA: 4.640
College: Yale University
Major: Biochemistry
What are your life goals? One of my personal goals is to find meaning in what I do professionally. I want to find something that I enjoy doing and can go home every day knowing I am doing something worthwhile and meaningful.
What challenges have shaped you, and how? I feel as though I am more introverted than others believe. I have to actively seek opportunities and push my boundaries.
Best high school memory: Being with my cross country friends has been my some of my favorite memories. We always have fun together, often engaging in some tomfoolery.
My favorite place in Iowa: The trails behind Ashton Cross Country Course in Iowa City are my favorite. It's a calm and perfect environment for running. It's great to look at, blocks the wind, and is calming.
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Michael Farmer
Bettendorf
ACT score: 35
Class rank: 1/368
GPA: 4.000
College: Iowa State University
College major: Computer Engineering
What are your life goals? I want to pursue leadership positions within the teams I take part in. I enjoy working with other people and being able to provide resources for them! I also cannot wait to take a trek out to the Apennine Mountains in Italy.
What challenges have shaped you, and how? As the Senior Patrol Leader of my local Scout troop when the pandemic restrictions started, I suddenly became responsible for much more than just meeting agendas when I was tasked with finding some way to continue teaching skills as a troop without physically meeting. I worked with the adult leadership to plan virtual Zoom meetings every week where scouts could still meet with leaders, and I organized meetings by developing slide decks and planning skill sessions. I learned how to become adaptable in urgent situations.
My favorite place in Iowa: Wildcat Den State Park. Between the sandstone bluffs millions of years old and vast trail overlooks, Iowa doesn't offer a better place to see its natural beauty.
Anna Prieskorn
Iowa City Liberty
ACT score: 34
Class rank: 5/315
GPA: 4.390
College: University of Iowa
College major: Biomedical Engineering
What are your life goals? My biggest life goal is to be happy no matter what I’m doing. I never want to lose sight of the little things that make me happy. Another big goal of mine is to design better prosthetics that work seamlessly with the body, which is why I’m majoring in biomedical engineering.
What challenges have shaped you, and how? My older sister has always been a person who challenged me. From the time when we were both little, we were constantly racing or competing in video games. I lost nearly every single time, but I learned the valuable lesson of how to shake things off. As we got older, my sister challenged me academically. My sister has always been very advanced in school, and she motivated me to achieve the same level of academic success as her. Watching her successes and failures has helped me navigate my way through high school.
Chloe Zittergren
Tri-County
ACT score: 27
Class rank: 1/16
GPA: 5.000
College: Iowa State University
College major: Horticulture
What are your life goals? My goals include owning and operating my own flower farm/business and graduating from college debt-free. I started my floral business, 140th Street Blooms, this past spring and plan to see it grow. I enjoy being around flowers because they bring so much joy and happiness into the world.
What challenges have shaped you, and how? When I was an eighth-grader and freshman I developed an eating disorder called anorexia nervosa because of comments a family member made about my body and how I looked. It has shaped me into the person I am today. I am never ashamed to talk about mental health because I was once in that position where I was scared to ask for help and ashamed to talk about the struggles brought on by my eating disorder.
My day is not complete until I ... have drunk at least one Bubbl'r; most days it is two.
Kaitlyn Brown
Iowa City High
SAT score: 1430
Class rank: 17/408
GPA: 4.290
College: Temple University
College major: Political Science and Communications
What are your life goals? After graduating from high school, one of my life goals has always been to travel to each continent. But, before I begin my travels, I aspire to graduate from an undergraduate program and continue my education at law school. From there, I hope to receive my JD and begin my journey as a public defense attorney. One of my biggest goals is to improve education on legal systems and help people get the help they need. Throughout high school, I have found a good connection between communications and legal degrees, so after graduating with my communications degree, I plan to further extend my learning by picking up some freelancing jobs with newspapers. Then, once all my smaller goals have been achieved, I will step foot on every continent in the world.
My day is not complete until I ... complete all the New York Times games.
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