Senior Spotlight: Michaela Hall
Launch the media gallery 1 playerFor Jon and Kathy Hall, April 4th, 2000, was the best day of the new millennium so far. It was the day they welcomed their youngest daughter, Michaela Grace Hall, into their lives in Norfolk, NE.
The youngest of the four children, Michaela has three older sisters: Melani, 30, Samantha, 27, and Natalie, 24. The Hall family also couldn’t survive without their overweight cat, Polly.
Michaela resides in Stanton, but she joined Leigh Schools her sophomore year. Throughout high school, Michaela has been involved in band, choir, and quiz bowl for four years; One-Act and National Honor Society for three years; bowling for two years; and FBLA, speech, and honor band for a year.
On track to be the valedictorian of the graduating class, Michaela has received numerous awards and scholarships throughout her high school career. She has won two state championships and a runner-up with the One-Act team. This year, she also won the Academic All-State Award for One-Act play. She also holds the distinct honor of reading more books in one year than student to ever graduate from Leigh High School (that we know about!) Last year she read over 20,000 pages, and is currently on track to do the same this year.
To get to know Michaela a bit more, she describes herself as helpful, curious, and stubborn. Some of Michaela’s hobbies include reading, baking, hanging out with friends and her family. Her favorite subject is social studies. She loves the TV show, Doctor Who, and the movie, The Princess Bride. She doesn’t have a favorite sports team because she doesn’t like sports except the Olympics.
Her favorite song currently is “I Can Go the Distance” from Hercules. She likes the book Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. She really likes Afghani and Indian food and anything with curry.
She has many interesting pet peeves, including when people are hypocritical, when people don’t take things seriously, and when people don’t say the word “wash” properly.
Michaela says her proudest moment in high school was when she aced her business plan project in Entrepreneurship.
It was also in a business class where Michaela had her most embarrassing moment when she got a bloody nose presenting a project.
After high school, Michaela intends to go to the University of Nebraska-Kearney for Criminal Justice, so she can become a police officer. In 10-15 years she sees herself working as a law enforcement officer.
She wants to have many adventures in her life. She would love to travel to Switzerland because of their excellent food and skiing. Four more goals on Michaela’s bucket lists are to rappel down a skyscraper and a waterfall, visit Europe’s cathedrals and museums, eat fish fingers and custard, and learn how to fly.
If she were fortunate enough to win the lottery she would give part of it away to a cause of her choice, use a portion to purchase or pay for necessities, and then invest the rest.
When asked who she admires the most, she said she couldn’t pick just one person because there were too many to count. She admires all those who choose to face their inner struggles and take a stand.
Michaela’s favorite high school memory is playing games and hanging out with her classmates.
Her encouraging advice to underclassmen is “Never be cruel or cowardly, never give up, and never give in.”