Seniors of the Month
Summary: Seniors of the Month!
Ballard HS Seniors of the Month!
Ballard Rotary Honors two outstanding BHS seniors each month as part of its Students of the Month program. Below are the Ballard HS Seniors of each month.
Seniors of the Month of March 2024
Lidet B.
I played for the Ballard basketball team, and I’m the vice president of Black Student Union for Ballard, BSU means the most to me being at a majority white school having a space where there’s people that look like me and share same experience feels very comforting and I enjoy the club not only for that but the people in it who create such a welcoming and supportive and beautiful environment.
I work at the Ballard food bank, and I’ve learned a lot working there, but it has made volunteering look like something i would like to continue in the future.
Luke B.
I play Football and Lacrosse for Ballard. Both of these sports mean a lot to me and have given me a better understanding of life and what it means to give it your all and compete not just for yourself but your teammates as well. It’s been my pleasure to play and have fun with not just my teammates, but the coaches as well. I’m thankful for the bonds I’ve made through both sports and look forward to seeing them succeed when I’m gone next year.
Outside of school I have volunteered to help coach youth lacrosse and I have helped clean up several parks and playgrounds. I believe it’s important to give back to the community that shaped you. I’ve gotten the opportunity to do this by helping kids that play on the same team I used to play on. By preserving the same playgrounds that I used to play on as a kid, I hope new kids growing up get to experience the same fun that I had as well.
Seniors of the Month of February 2024
Justene L.
At Ballard, I’m on the golf team, the gymnastics team, in the chamber orchestra, a Link leader, participate in reading buddies, and I’m also one of the presidents of the Asian Student Union! Participating in sports has been something that has taught me about work ethic and perseverance, but has also helped me build lots of amazing connections with people, and has also taught me how to work with a team and how to uplift and support others. Aside from sports, I’ve been a president of ASU for 3 years, and I’ve really enjoyed seeing the community grow! One of the best parts for me is teaching people about culture and history but also meeting tons of new people and learning about everyone’s unique culture as well. I’ve also been a part of the orchestra program at Ballard for all 4 years, and the community there is so fun and special to me too. It’s taught me how to work with large groups but also small groups and it reminds me of why I love music! I also go to reading buddies every Friday, where I get to work with first graders and share my love of reading. Finally, I’ve been a link crew leader for the past 2 years — it means a lot to me because I want new students to feel like they can thrive at Ballard just like my link leaders taught me how to.
Outside of school, I’ve just recently started working with the new AHSC alliance for Asian student unions across schools, which I think is such a special opportunity to collaborate with a diverse group of students and expand the benefits of a student union across a district. I’ve also been with the First Tee organization for a long time, where I learned how to golf and made a lot of friends. It taught me the value of the sport, and now I sometimes help coach the younger kids too! In and out of school, I’m part of the Moonstruck Quartet, which is a chamber music group I’m part of with some friends, and it’s been super meaningful in that we get to perform in a lot of different settings, and I get to both learn about and enjoy playing my violin in a quartet with some lovely people!
Niko T.
I am captain of the Unified basketball team which I’ve been playing on for four years. It’s a fun way to play basketball with people who have disabilities and people who don’t. The coaches are super supportive and like everything I do. The part I like most is that you get to know your peers in a way which you would not otherwise.
I’ve been in band for two years playing the flute. At home I play the piccolo. I also have a saxophone, trumpet, and a clarinet. I don’t play them very often. Last summer I was in All-City band, and we went on a trip to Canada which was really fun.
SLAM club has been a good experience at Ballard. I get to learn about mental health and get to know everybody else in the club. We have visited an elementary school and given a talk about the importance of mental health. I try to be really kind and reach out to people around me at school.
Outside of school I like to play my flute, see friends, hang out with family, and spend time with my dog.
Seniors of the Month of January 2024
Semai H.
I’m president of Black Student Union and Multicultural Student Union. It means so much to me that not only can I be a member of these unions, but that I can take a lead in diversifying our school. It’s meaningful to me that I get a space in which I can bring my culture while also learning about others’ cultures. I’ve also learned how to me more outspoken in advocating for my wants and needs at school.
I volunteer at my church’s Tigrinya (my native language) class where we teach children speaking, reading, and writing. Teaching Tigrinya is meaningful and rewarding because I get to see the students grow in their learning. It’s difficult for some because they only speak English at home, so it’s especially rewarding to watch them do well on a test, or when they help their friends who are struggling. I’m grateful for this opportunity because I am able to connect with people who share my roots and I get to be part of a growing community here in Seattle. I’m also on the WA NAACP Youth Council as the 2nd vice. We plan workshops and collaborate with other organizations to improve schools to support marginalized students and communities. We are currently planning for BLM @ School Week, and will probably have a workshop for MLK Day. This is important to me because I’m able to be part of a movement that advocates for ethnic studies, and supporting marginalized communities. I’m also able to improve my leadership and public speaking skills through it.
Finn V.
I am the president of Garment club, which has been something that I have been very passionate about recently. I love sewing so being able to share that with other students, whether it be with students who already have experience sewing or students that have never touched a sewing machine, it still just feels great to be able to share that. I’m also a link leader at Ballard which I feel is important to welcome in the incoming freshman and make them feel a part of the school.
Obviously sewing is probably my main activity that I do outside of school. I think it is one of those things that just makes you happy, in part because it is just having that ability to create something and have this finished product, but then also being able to wear that thing you created. It is just something that brings me a lot of joy. Also, outside of school I have been playing a lot of pickup basketball and have been cycling a lot, which I feel like staying active is an important thing to try to do.
Seniors of the Month of November 2023
Claudia Y.
Claudia Y. is a Senior at Ballard High School and one of three team captains for the Ballard High School swim team. Claudia has committed to swim for UCLA, starting in the Fall of 2024. Claudia balances a rigorous swim training schedule with her studies. USA Swimming named her ‘Scholastic All-American’ recently. Claudia capped off her high school swimming career by winning state. I have done Ballard girls swim all 4 years of high school. It is special to me because it allows me to have fun with friends and teammates with a sport that I have dedicated my entire life to.
Outside of school, I also club swim and hangout with my various teammates and friends. I like to think of myself as a very positive and uplifting person because I’m always talkative, positive, and energetic allowing others to laugh and have fun. Swim is very important to me because of my collegiate career coming up as well as the friendships I have made.
Dexter S.
Ballard XC/Track, Ultimate, Band, Asian Student Union. Ballard Athletics have meant a lot to me since I was a freshman. As a Freshman XC and Track allowed me to meet people at Ballard though online school. It still lets me meet new people. One thing I love about athletics is how it bridges different classes together. Upperclassmen lead their team which intern inspires the underclassmen to do the same when their older. I’m glad I have been able to be on both sides.
Ballard Band has also been a huge part of my school life. We get so many fun opportunities with the music program. Mr. G is also one of the most caring and supportive teachers I’ve had the privilege of being taught by. Asian Student Union has been an important club for my friends and I. Being in a space that shares different cultures has helped me really appreciate other cultures and my own.
During the Summer before sophomore year my friends and I decided to volunteer at the food bank. While this started as way to get hour service hours done it became a fun way to spend the summer. Getting to work with a group of people from throughout Seattle that all shared a common goal of helping the community helped just felt really good. Every task mattered weather it was helping out someone in need or a fellow volunteer. Now with a Job at the Chipotle Interbay I get to do something similar on a larger scale. Serving food with my coworkers lets me form unity with a bunch of people I would probably have never talked to. Every interaction with customers gives me insight to the Seattle area. It also highlights of diverse Seattle can be outside of Ballard.
Seniors of the Month of October 2023
Flora B.
I play soccer and run track for Ballard as well as being an active member in National Honor Society (NHS) and running Jewish Student Union (JSU). The sports teams at Ballard have helped me become connected to the school environment and taught me resilience in not only athletics but in real world context as well. NHS has helped to promote even more volunteerism in my life while giving back to the Ballard community. Being a member and now president of JSU has taught me a lot about leadership as I have had to take on more responsibilities and has given me a way to find a really great smaller community within a big school. I was also a Link Leader this past year which was a fine and meaningful way to give back to the greater Ballard community by getting an opportunity to make the freshman feel welcome. Recently I was named managing editor of the yearbook which I’m very excited to get to spend more time working on in order to produce something for our senior class and the whole school to enjoy.
Outside of school I volunteer in order to uplift my greater Seattle community which I’ve done through a number of programs. Some of the places I volunteered with were Team Read where I tutored kids who struggled with reading and Tilth Alliance where I worked in the gardens. This past summer I also got an internship through a program called Teens in Publics Service where I was assigned to a non-profit for the summer. I was assigned to the Center for Wooden boats where I took on a series of responsibilities such as camp counseling, field trip leading, and doing administrative work where I was truly able to understand how a non-profit functions. I work at my temple throughout the year where I work with a small group of elementary aged students and where assist in the classroom and through activities. It’s been a super impactful way for me to connect and give back to my Jewish community and help build up the program for future students.
Ryan B.
I have played football here at Ballard for all 4 years of high school, and just last year I started as a manager of the softball team which I loved and I’m going to manage again this year. Both the sports I am a part of and the ones I cheer on at Ballard mean a lot to me, I love attending games for all different sports like soccer, baseball, volleyball, and more, because I get to cheer on my friends and also learn about some of the sports I don’t know as much on. Being around a community and building relationships with others on and off the field has made school at Ballard so awesome, and I am super grateful to have the opportunity to play football in college (undecided college) because all the great coaching and playing in the best division in the state of Washington has been crucial in preparing me for the next level.
One of the places that means a lot to me is my church, as Ballard First Lutheran down the street from here has been my church since I went to preschool there, and growing up my faith has been a huge part of my life. I have been baptized and confirmed Lutheran and I regularly attend church and help out with events and services they do, ranging from cookouts and holiday services, all the way to packing trucks with relief packages for places in need (ie; for Ukraine in 2022). Ballard First Lutheran regularly takes in new members and provides help and meals to anyone who may need or want it, and being able to be a part of such a caring and loving community helps me spread that same compassion to all people in my life.
Seniors of the Month of September 2023
Amelia H.
Varsity volleyball, psychology club, BOAT club, orchestra – they all allow me to fully integrate into the community and meet people I wouldn’t normally meet otherwise.
I coach volleyball at Whitman Middle School, I love to get younger students to love volleyball as much as I do, and hopefully by making volleyball fun at the middle school level, they will want to keep playing throughout high school and even longer!
Karim R.
Cross country: working hard and finding enjoyment in the mundane with friends. Robotics where we build community and robots and lead my own club M.A.S.C. Club where we strive to create a welcoming space to talk about positive outlets to be masculine.
Link leader is important to me to pass on my high school knowledge to the new generation of Ballard students.
I helped hand out flyers and do volunteer work with Seattle Student Union. Tabled for Alliance for Gun Responsibility.
Ballard Rotary Helping Ballard Schools
Ballard Rotary is dedicated to the education of students in Ballard. Every year we support the Seattle School District’s Global Reading Challenge Program, providing books to participating Ballard elementary schools, and volunteer scorers and timekeepers for the competitions. We also honor two outstanding Seniors at Ballard High School each month as part of our Students of the Month program.
We annually award several college scholarships to BHS graduates and to incoming students at Seattle Maritime Academy. Last year $12,000 was awarded to students focusing on vocational programs. Visit the Rotary Club of Ballard website for more information. Note: No Seniors of the Month for Dec. 2023
