Senior Spotlight is a Cascadia Daily News annual series, highlighting the lives and experiences of graduating seniors from Whatcom County high schools.
AMI PURDUE
From tennis and ceramics to Associated Student Body and Volunteer Club, Ami Purdue explored many different communities and activities at Bellingham High School. A large portion of her time was spent in orchestra playing the violin, which she has played since childhood. She plans to attend the University of Oregon and double major in violin performance and architecture.
Why are the arts important to you?
I guess, it’s kind of how I grew up. My parents are both artists. My mom is a fiber arts professor at Western [Washington University], and my dad is a librarian at Western. He’s really into film and music, so I’ve been constantly surrounded by that environment. They didn’t push me to do any of that stuff, and I found my own passion within it.
It’s a way to express myself. Music and art are a way to convey your feelings without words. I just feel like I can really connect to it in that way because sometimes it’s hard for me to articulate what I’m feeling with speaking.
What do you like about playing the violin?
I’ve done it for so many years that it just feels like something that I can fall back to. At times, it is really, really stressful. Sometimes I feel like I want to be done with it, but that only lasts for like an hour. I always find joy in it, and I always want to continue to do it because it’s something that I love.
You’ve been involved in a lot of different spaces at Bellingham. What’s that been like?
The beautiful thing about high school and being a part of a lot of things is you get to meet a bunch of different people. I’m friends with people involved in different stuff, and I think it’s really cool to see people’s perspectives and connect with each other.
How did COVID-19 impact your early high school experience?
It was harder to meet people, and I think people were kind of separate in their own friend groups. It wasn’t until last year, and especially this year, that I feel like everyone has come together and been more of one big friend group, which I think is really cool.
Is there a teacher or staff member who has impacted your high school experience?
I would say I have a few. Mr. [Nick] Strobel, the orchestra teacher. He’s been so supportive and he’s such a good human being. I think he’s a really big supporter of music and the arts and exploring yourself within that. Then, I would say, Mr. [Damon] Burnett. He’s the film teacher. I’ve been getting more into film and he’s been someone I can talk to.
How do you feel about graduating?
It’s really bittersweet. I’m excited, but this is such a new chapter. I feel like it’s hard to appreciate the moment that you’re in now because you’re so stressed with everything else going on. I don’t know. I’m really sad to honestly leave my parents because I do have a really great connection with them.
ASHTON GUERNSEY
After taking summer classes since his freshman year and completing credits through Running Start at Whatcom Community College, Ashton Guernsey is graduating a year early. In his three years of high school, he participated in theater, choir, cheer, Volunteer Club and Environmental Club, and has also spent winters at Mt. Baker Ski Area. He will attend the University of California, Irvine, and plans to study criminology and possibly pre-law, psychology or a science.
What drew you to theater, arts and performance?
I’m actually not super sure what drew me to it in the first place. I think I remember I saw a poster in the hall or something. I was like, ‘Oh, I should try that out’ … So, I auditioned for [the play] and then I kept doing it because I thought it was really fun.
How did it benefit your high school experience?
It really helped me get involved because when I started out I wasn’t super connected to different people in the community. It’s helped me meet a lot of different types of people and people from a larger age range. I’ve done theater with people that are all the way up through college and all the way into elementary school. You’re always kind of meeting new people, and I think that that’s nice.
You’re graduating a year early. What was your motivation?
I wanted to graduate early because I really want to able to experience as much as I can with college, and hopefully earn either a master’s or a doctorate. I wanted to have more time to be able to study in a college environment. It has let me explore a lot more programs and opportunities related to my major than I would have otherwise, and I’ve gotten a lot more of a chance to explore my interests.
Is there a teacher or staff member who has impacted your high school experience?
Ms. [Connie] Campbell has impacted me a lot. She is the choir teacher and I’ve done a couple classes with her now. I have done concert choir and I’ve done showstoppers, which is show choir. She is helpful because she teaches us about how it’s important to learn from a variety of different people so that you’re getting the most information and getting the most help. I think that it’s been really helpful for me because it’s some of the first instruction that I’ve had vocally.
What draws you to studying criminology?
I really enjoy more investigative science or reasoning, I guess. It’s something that I’ve been interested in for a while, and I’ve taken a lot of classes to do with it. I’ve done criminology at school and I’ve done a lot of psychology classes. I did social psychology and I did AP (Advanced Placement) psychology.
How do you feel about graduating?
Mostly, I’m excited. I’ve been here for a while and I am ready to graduate. But it’s also a little bit difficult because you have to leave a lot behind as well to go somewhere new, but I think I’m ready for a change of pace. And I’m ready to be somewhere with a lot nicer weather.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Try to make an effort to meet people and get involved. I focused a lot on academics the first couple of years. I wish that I had done more social activities. And I think I really enjoyed a lot of the more social activities that I’ve done the past two years, so I wish that I had started them sooner because I think I would have really enjoyed that.
Visit CDN’s Senior Spotlight page to learn about Whatcom County graduates from other schools. New profiles will be posted every Monday, Wednesday and Friday until June 19.
Hailey Hoffman is a CDN visual journalist; reach her at haileyhoffman@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 103.
