Pataskala-area graduating seniors excel despite facing challenges, COVID-19 pandemic
Pataskala-area students from the Class of 2023 have overcome health struggles, reached new heights, earned recognition for their achievements and gained confidence in themselves — all while having a portion of their formative years impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Advocate spoke to graduating seniors from Watkins Memorial and Licking Heights about their high school experience and the next steps once they cross the graduation stage.
After beating cancer, Cameron Leang aims to be a doctor
Cameron Leang has endured more than anyone his age should, and now he is on a path to help others in the same circumstances.
The Watkins Memorial senior was diagnosed with leukemia while in seventh grade during the 2017-2018 school year and spent the next several years dealing with long hospital stays, chemotherapy and radiation treatments, two bone marrow transplants and more until he was finally in remission during his junior year.
Through it all, Cameron kept his positive attitude and stayed on top of his school work, earning a cumulative 3.77 grade point average.
"You just kind of have to focus on other stuff," he said. "I mean, it's obviously hard. But if you just spend all your time dwelling on that, then it's not going be good for you."
Cameron, who loves classic rock, passed time playing on his ukulele and learning trivia facts, which led to him joining Watkins Memorial's quiz bowl team.
While dealing with his cancer treatments, he focused on all the science behind it and discovered he wanted to make that his career.
"I think that I have a head start when it comes to that, so I figured why not do what they do," he said.
Cameron is headed to the main campus of Ohio State University in the fall and plans to study biology before eventually going to medical school. He hopes to stay at OSU for that as well. Cameron wants to be a hematologist oncologist, which treat blood cancers and is the very same type of doctor who treated him.
Cameron said he was inspired by his own care team, namely Dr. Rajinder Bajwa at Nationwide Children's Hospital, because of the compassion he showed toward Cameron and his family.
"They've always has been really nice and whenever I ask them questions and stuff, they're really informative and they can explain it in a way that I understand, and I want to be like that," he said.
Victoria Harvey reached new heights for Watkins Memorial in pole vault
Victoria Harvey dreamed of being a sprinter, but now the Watkins Memorial senior is soaring higher than she ever imagined.
Victoria cemented her place in Watkins Memorial history, holding two district records for girl pole vaulters. She comfortably cleared the previous middle school record of 7 feet, 6 inches with her own vault of 10 feet, 6 inches. And at the high school level, she stands alone in the record books with a vault of 13 feet compared to the previous record holder's 11 feet, 8 inches.
Pole vaulting is a family affair for Victoria. Her dad, Kevin Harvey, holds the Watkins Middle School boys pole vault record at 11 feet.
Victoria, who last year was the Division I state runner-up in the event, started pole vaulting in middle school because of her dad, who also stepped in to coach when the district didn't have one at the time.
"It's so special to be able to share those moments with him because I feel like not a lot of people understand the sport and he really does," she said.
Her high school coach, Rob Hammond, has also been a great support over the past four years, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic meant not practicing at the school.
"He would like come to my house, give me workouts and coach me at my house," she said.
Victoria, who is also the student council president, aims to reach the state meet again this June.
Her love of the sport is tied directly to the community of pole vaulters from across the state that she has become friends with during her high school years.
"I've met lifelong friends there … some I'm going off to college with and I'll be competing with for the next four years," she said.
Victoria is headed to the University of Findlay, where she'll continue her pole vaulting career. For her, the decision was a no-brainer.
"The second I started getting college letters, I was like, 'This is what I want to do,'" she said.
While at Findlay, she said she will major in biology. Her goal is to become an optometrist.
Theater is a passion for Ayden Kerg and Carter Russ
Ayden Kerg and Carter Russ are both dedicated performers in Licking Heights' theater program, which faced extra complications throughout their high school years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Near the end of their freshman year, the school was slated to open its production of the "Rock of Ages" musical on March 14, 2020 when the state began shutting down. Their show was postponed an hour before the cast was to take the stage.
"We didn't actually get to perform the show until a year after, May 2021," Ayden said.
And within that year, the theater department had to move the set from the previous high school to the new building once it opened in the fall of 2020. The production crew also had to reset all the lighting and technical cues once in the new auditorium.
Ayden and Carter, who have been good friends since sixth grade, have performed in every show during their high school years, including the play "Our Town" and the musical "Newsies." The pair also helped with the student-led production of "The Play That Goes Wrong" in December 2021 when the school didn't have a director.
Their dedication paid off when they earned starring roles in the March production of the musical "Catch Me If You Can," based on the movie of the same name.
For the first time, the district participated in the CAPA Marquee Awards, which recognizes central Ohio high school productions with a ceremony similar to the Tony Awards. Carter, who also performed with the school marching band for several years, was a semifinalist for best actor in a leading role his portrayal of Frank Abagnale Jr. Ayden, who has also participated in school choir and acapella groups, is a finalist for his turn as Agent Carl Hanratty.
Licking Heights junior Ryann Schindler is also a finalist for best actress in a supporting role, and the entire cast was recognized with a best musical production nomination.
They'll find out the results at a May 25 ceremony at the Ohio Theatre. Ayden and Carter, along with a handful of other Licking Heights students, will perform on the Columbus theater's stage during the ceremony.
The ceremony will be a good sendoff for the pair, and Carter said it's similar to a sports team appearing at the state finals. It's also a way to celebrate the entire cast, who spent four months working on the show together. They each referred to their fellow student cast members as a big family.
"Everyone loves each other at the end of the day," Ayden said.
After accepting their diplomas at Licking Heights' graduation May 27, Ayden plans on taking a gap year until he determines a career to pursue. Carter is headed to Wright State University in Dayton where he will study theater. Carter, who has also done regional community theater outside of school, hopes to one day work as an actor in TV and film.
"There's a lot of inspirations through my life that definitely led me to actually want to pursue this despite it being such a competitive and, honestly, horrifying field. But in my mind, it's worth the work and even when I have to work a side job, it'll be worth it because that's what I enjoy doing," he said. "I think I'm very lucky to have actually found what I like to do."
Yidida Ebissa gains confidence through leadership experiences
During her years at Licking Heights High School, Yidida Ebissa has grown from a shy teen to a confident young leader.
She has been involved with student council since her elementary years, with the exception of ninth and 10th grade. It's allowed her to build strong bonds with her peers while also making improvements to the school from year to year, which is the most rewarding aspect for her.
She said more students have been involved in activities and spirit week events, with a popular favorite being "Anything But a Backpack Day," a day students come to school carrying their supplies in anything that is not a backpack.
Licking Heights is a rapidly growing district that now has more than 5,000 students, and the student council plays a crucial role fostering a sense of community as new students arrive regularly.
"We put ourselves out there, so being able to get people to respond to that and actually participate and be interested in it makes us feel more comfortable," she said.
Yidida's involvement has also helped her open up more, she said.
"When you run for student council, you have to go out and get people to vote for you. For somebody that's really quiet and shy, that's like a big thing," she said. "Since I've been doing that, it makes me more comfortable to be able to go and do other things as well."
She's the daughter of Ethiopian immigrants something that she said helps her be more open-minded and conscientious of her fellow classmates.
"Being able to see how other people respond to people's cultures, it is really important to be aware of," she said. "It just helps me realize also, I should have an open mind for my culture as well."
With the district celebrating cultural days, the annual Diaspora performance that highlights students' cultures, and more, Yidida said it's meaningfully for the district to embrace its diversity.
"It just shows that our school really cares about the diversity of our school and actually tries to do stuff for us. I like that a lot because there's schools that can say that they're diverse and have the kids and stuff like that but don't really do anything for their students," she said. "It's just great to see all the different students actually like participate in that and take pride in their country."
Yidida plans to study finance this fall at Columbus State Community College. After completing her first two years of college, she hopes to transfer to OSU or Ohio Dominican University.
mdevito@gannett.com
740-607-2175
Twitter: @MariaDeVito13
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Pataskala graduating seniors excel despite facing challenges, COVID-19
