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2023 Lykos staff

Try new things! That’s what Abbey strives to do and thinks everyone should do. As a piece of advice, she says that although it is uncomfortable to try new things, putting yourself out of your comfort zone can be very beneficial. She has accomplished this by trying new classes that will prepare her for her career later in life. After high school Abbey wants to go to an out of state college to pursue a degree in kinesiology to become a professional sports athletic trainer. She wants to study kinesiology because she loves being around athletes and enjoys playing sports and she wants to help professional athletes get back to the sport they love. If Abbey could work for any professional team she would work as a football or hockey trainer because she likes to work with strength training and those sports need lots of it.

Religious, modest, funny, honest and loyal are five words Ari would use to describe herself as. Ari cares dearly about her religion and modesty and she is not afraid to show it. She started wearing her niqab in her sophomore year of high school but she got bullied for it so she took it off but she then came back to it because she realized that it didn't matter what someone else might think. Ari is also very funny. She will always make every moment count. She is not afraid to tell you the truth and will never lie, unless it's life or death or necessary. Ari will stay loyal to you as long as you stay loyal to her.

The speed of the skateboard was too fast to handle. Before the start of his sophomore school year, Braxton was practicing his skateboarding when disaster struck. He had been practicing his skateboarding when all of a sudden he was going too fast, and in an effort to jump off he crashed. After this incident he had increased his caution when going down hills, but he still loves to skateboard.

Caitlin would like to congratulate herself on things such as branching out socially, how far she has come as an athlete and her art journey. She explains that telling herself everyone has their own differences and interests made it easier to become more comfortable socializing. The more she pushed herself to branch out, the more fun she had with friends and peers. As a tennis player, she is very proud of how far she’s come from when she didn’t know what sport she wanted to commit to; to now that she’s on Woodcreek’s varsity tennis team. Another thing that Cailtin would like to congratulate herself on is her skill in art. She fell in love with it in kindergarten and ever since then she has been expressing herself through art and continuing to practice it on a regular basis.

What happens when you read a good book? One of the most recent books Hailey Guliksen read was ‘Every Last Word’. While reading this book Hailey’s favorite part would have to be the plot twist towards the end. She felt intrigued by what she was reading and had to read more. She wishes it could be turned into a movie. Hailey has read many books, and seen many of them turned into movies. If she could say who inspired her, she wouldn’t choose one person. The characters she reads or watches inspire her to be like them, to be brave, caring and independent.

With a love for working with younger kids, Isabell hopes to become a teacher. Starting with taking child development classes Junior year, and being able to babysit more often it gives her more time to work with little kids. Isabell starts to learn more about what she wants to become as she gets closer to her senior year of high school. The teachers she has had explains their own experiences as a teacher, giving her a look at different points of view and great advice. Almost to the end of high school, Isabell would like to take the chance to learn more about becoming a teacher.

Partying, dancing, and hanging out with her friends is just the tip of the iceberg when getting to know more about Jocelyn. She likes that she can do all those things at the place she finds most exciting, which is high school football games. But Jocelyn’s love for football goes beyond just the high school games. Every year she does Super Bowl Sunday with her family and it’s a big deal in her household. Jocelyn’s love for football goes way back to when she was younger and played it. Playing football is what sparked her love for the sport, and although she no longer plays, she still gets to have just as much fun with her friends.

While yearbook was never something she anticipated being a part of when she started high school, Kaitlynn, third year staffer, has really enjoyed the journey it has taken her on. Even though her experience started off rocky she took her job and soared, landing herself in an editorial position. Kaitlynn has really enjoyed the mindset that accompanies yearbook where everyone actively works together to make something and the act of leaning on one another in the process. A wonderful skill she will need when she goes to school to become a pilot as soon as she graduates.

Responsible, kind and silly. The three words Karah believes to best describe herself. Her favorite activity is hanging out with her friends, enjoying their company while watching a movie. Karah values self love and image, and feels compassionate to those who are struggling to feel comfortable in their own skin, as she came to love herself a lot more over the last few years. So, if she could get rid of one thing in this world it would be beauty standards so that everyone could value themselves and look at themselves as beautiful, just as they deserve to.

Mika never knew that skiing would become a big part of her life. She remembers her first time skiing was during Christmas when she visited Utah. Her grandfather took her and would ski backward and she would ski in front of him for safety. Her sister started skiing the same time Mika did and her main motivation was to be better than her. Mika has loved skiing ever since and looks forward to going every year.

From psychology to interior design, Mikayla has always been curious about a variety of topics. Mikayla’s curiosity pushed her to try new things like soccer and gymnastics, however she soon learned that these did not fulfill her passion. Until the start of 6th grade, when she discovered her love for dance and how it helps her express creativity and emotion. Since the start of her dance career, Mikayla has been in numerous dance competitions and continues to perform for the Woodcreek Dance Team.

At one point in our lives we have all struggled with some form of social anxiety, whether it be because of large crowds, making a conversation, public speaking etc. we have all experienced the same paralyzing fear. Nicole is no stranger to this feeling. In 2020, during quarantine, Nicole struggled with the same things. She had a difficult time keeping a conversation or going up to someone and talking to them, but when asked what she likes most about herself Nicole said that she loves that she is outgoing, especially compared to a few years ago. She loves that she can talk to people and make new friends, and is proud that she overcame her fear and turned it into something courageous.

Paula says the most beautiful place she’s been in the past year has been the underground crystal caves she went to. She really enjoys the earth and crystals. She also likes exploring new things and she thinks it's insane how the earth can create something that pretty by itself. Even though it was her first time in those caves she says it felt like a safe space for her.

It all started with a nomination from her former soccer coach. Paula never thought she’d become a member of the Students of the Year Campaign, put on by the Leukemia Lymphoma and Society. She helps put together a team and reaches out to various people, companies and organizations in her area to raise money for the cause. In her first year volunteering, she ended up raising $21,000 which led her to win the leadership award that year. Paula plans to keep volunteering in the future as it is now a part of her and hopes to raise more than her previous $65,000 she helped raise last year.

Sophia is someone who thrives to challenge herself by stepping out of her comfort zone. Sophia knows that trying new things is hard because it can be difficult putting yourself out there since experiencing sports or classes without your friends can be scary, but is worth it. Sophia pushed herself out of her comfort zone by joining the golf team here at school and has loved every minute of it because she has got to meet lots of new people. Since pushing herself out of her comfort zone with golf, she has realized that it has helped in other parts of her life as well. Sophia tries to talk to more people in her classes, especially in her group, because it has made class and school more enjoyable for her.

Every morning Samantha pulls out her tarot deck and starts the day off with a reading. She claims this helps her keep control of her emotions from the previous day so they don’t leak into the next. It also helps her prepare for the school day ahead and her work in Yearbook. Tarot reading, meditation, reading, and poetry are just some of the things Samantha enjoys when she’s not planning for her future or eating chocolate and watching Stranger Things.

A simple piece of advice can change your whole outlook on life. Sophia is a prime example of this. Throughout the early years of her life, Sophia had struggled with the littlest things sending her into a spiral. After beginning to struggle with more extreme problems her mom, someone she really looks up to, gave her the advice that now has become her life motto. “Roll with the punches.” As more things in her life have changed she has learned that things will get better eventually and you just have to stick with it.

Sophie loves her family dearly and her friends as well. Sophie enjoys bonding with all of them often. The warmth she feels seeing them bond and drink tea together while chatting away always fills her with happiness. She loves spending time with them even outside of the home. As long as they are near she is content.

Vera’s most valuable lesson she has learned is to not take things for granted, even the small things, like your car, the food your parent’s pay for or the roof over your head. She learned that lesson during COVID, when she thought she was just going to have to quarantine for two weeks. Next thing she knew, her freshman and sophomore year she was online, that’s when she started to appreciate everything including the little moments. She knows it can be taken away at any point and your whole life could be changed. She savors the little moments with her friends and spends as much time with them as she can. She enjoys seeing the potential in all of her friends, playing games and anything that makes her laugh.

In the coming year, Maddy is going to work towards maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Keeping her 4.0 will help her in the future as she pursues her dream career in becoming a teacher. Maddy is currently following the education pathway and she wants to bring a change to teaching. She wants to be a teacher that makes kids want to learn and she wants to be students’ go-to teacher. After Maddy’s experiences with teachers that weren’t very good and being a student herself, she knows that she wants to make a difference. Her goal is to change education and schooling by making sure that students are more heard and seen on campus and make school a more enjoyable place for everyone.

One word Kaylee truly identifies with is creative. She loves to dance, sing and create art (mainly in graphic design). While she doesn’t dance or sing competitively she says she’d love to in the future, sharing that she’s thinking of taking up songwriting and creating her own music. Her creative side doesn’t just leak into her hobbies though because, when she’s not designing or jamming in her room, Kaylee loves to go to concerts or watch Dancing With the Stars at home with her family.

Sienna is always looking forward to achieving her goals with practice and hard work. She’s an aspiring volleyball player who works well with her team and reaches for further heights. Sienna also spends time being involved in Key Club. Achieving goals is fulfilling to Sienna because she always appreciates the time and effort she puts in to make the end result satisfying. Being involved with many school activities help Sienna strive to succeed. With the skills she will develop, during her time in yearbook and as a volleyball player, she hopes to strive and reach for the stars!

For Jillian, graduation can’t come quick enough. She is proud that she will graduate with cords and a silver banner, but she’s also excited to pursue the path she has chosen for her future. Originally, Jillian wanted to pursue a career in acting, however she recently came across a new occupation she feels has always called her name. She hopes to go to cosmetology school and pursue a career in either hair or makeup. Though it took her a bit of time to accept that she would no longer be going to college, she is happy she decided not to and excited to continue her love and passion for hair and makeup after high school.