With graduation right around the corner people are beginning to wonder what they’ll do with their lives, who they’ll be, and what legacy they’ll leave. In my opinion the best way to satisfy that is to look at alumni and what they did. How have the people who walked the halls before us succeeded and grown?

 Not many people know, but we actually have our very own Miss Iowa. Her name is Grace Lynn Keller and she graduated from Wauconda High School in 2017 and continued her educational journey to U of I where she got a degree in journalism and mass communication. Before that though, she was a dancer at 11 who longed for more stage time and to be perceived, which is when she started doing pageants (The Hutch Podcast ). During her time at U of I she became a formal chair for her sorority, however because of covid, she never got to fulfill her duties (The Hutch Podcast). She took a break from her everyday life to run for Miss Iowa in 2023 and she won! With her new sash and crown she is now the vice president of a podcast company. 

What about if you want to succeed with your friends? Is that even possible? According to the band “Dr. Manhattan” it is. Matt Engers and Adam Engers are brothers who both went to Wauconda High School when they met Andrew Morrison and Nick Vombrack and decided to make a cover band for “Blink 182” and eventually ventured off to make their own music. They signed a record deal with “Vagrant Records” in 2007 and continued making music until 2011. Their most popular song “Big Chomper, Big Chomper” was in a popular video game “Watch Dogs” and has over 226 thousand views. 

Even though this year is coming to a close and we’re saying goodbye to our senior friends, you don’t have to say goodbye to our stories! You can check out our other stories similar to this topic such as “Hardworking Seniors” By Isabella Reguso. Thank you for reading!