Gilford top 10 ready to make a difference

GILFORD — The top 10 members of Gilford High School’s Class of 2021 are graduating with an urge to put their lives to the service of others, be it through education, storytelling, supporting athletes, practicing medicine or medical research.

Gilford High School’s valedictorian, Shu Shu Sawyer, is part of the high school’s math team, track and field program, Interact Club, co-president of the National Honors Society, and founded the Ethics Forum. She said the Ethics Forum was necessary to create a space for a “voice of dissent.” The opportunity for students to critique the culture of their school led to certain changes, such as the updating of the dress code.

Sawyer will be attending Wentworth Institute of Technology, in Boston, where she will be part of the university’s inaugural honors program and will study applied mathematics. “I want a major that gives me a lot of options,” she said, though her ultimate goal is inspired by watching both her mother and her brother deal with cancer. “Long-term, I would like to go into research,” Sawyer said.

Alyssa Gosselin, the salutatorian, is also interested in medicine. She will be attending Franklin Pierce University, in Rindge, for her undergraduate studies, and has already been accepted into the medical school at St. George’s University in Grenada. She intends to become a neurosurgeon.

“I’ve been always interested in the medical field, it’s also a great way to help people,” Gosselin said.

Gosselin’s time at Gilford High School was filled with volleyball, tennis and student council. She said one of her favorite school memories was Winter Carnival. She liked “to see everyone together and having fun.”

Bridgette Dahl was one of the several top ten students who participated in the Unified Club, which fields athletic teams made up of both students from the special education and regular education programs of study. She played clarinet in the band, played unified soccer, and was on the varsity softball team. One of Dahl’s favorite memories from her high school years was traveling to Manchester to cheer on her unified teammates at the Special Olympics. “It was really cool how everyone came together as one,” Dahl said.

In the fall, Dahl will matriculate to Colby-Sawyer College in New London, where she will study nursing. She aims to become a pediatric nurse practitioner. “I know I want to work with kids, and I really like science and math,” Dahl said.

Another member of the Unified Club, Andrew Flanders also played striker on the varsity soccer team and point guard on the basketball team, with which he helped win back-to-back state championships. After graduation, Flanders will attend Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah. First, though, he has a two-year missions trip to fulfill.

“I want to work in the sports industry somehow,” Flanders said. He said he’s attracted to “the competitiveness of it, the risk of it, I find it entertaining.”

Kayla Loureiro grew into a leader while at Gilford. When she was a sophomore, she saw that no-one had signed up to run for class treasurer, so she waged a successful write-in campaign. She was re-elected treasurer for her junior year, and this year was class president. Additionally, she was part of the Amnesty International club, and was on the lacrosse and cross-country running team.

Loureiro will be attending the University of Rhode Island this fall. She will major in kinesiology, with the goal of becoming an occupational therapist. Her interest in that vocation, she said, started with her grandfather. “He was diagnosed with multiple systems atrophy,” she said. She saw how his therapist added value to his life. “There are these memories of him laughing and having fun,” Loureiro said. After seeing how a therapist also helped her niece, she is specifically interested in pediatric occupational therapy.

Annabelle Eisenmann is also interested in helping young people. She will be attending Bridgewater State University, in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, so that she may become a special education teacher.

Eisenmann said her involvement with the school’s unified soccer and basketball teams inspired her career choice. “I liked that it was very inclusive and fun, I just wanted to go and have fun and hang out with my friends,” she said about the unified club, “And I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, so I put the two of them together.”

Eisenmann will be carrying on a family tradition. Educators in her family tree include her grandmother and uncle, and she has an aunt who is a librarian.

Blake Bolduc is another member of the 2021 class headed for education. A choir and theater performer, Bolduc’s vocal skills earned him entry into the New England Music Festival. Bolduc has also been part of a program that helps transition Gilmanton students into Gilford schools, and was part of a mentoring program for elementary students.

Bolduc will be attending the University of New Hampshire as part of its honors program. He will major in secondary education with a focus on English. He cited the influence of several teachers, including his AP English and AP Literature teachers at Gilford, but especially his fifth grade teacher, Mr. Montgomery, who brought fun and joy to education. “He made me want to learn and teach,” Bolduc said.

Kendall Jones spent much of her high school years on the slopes. She was captain of the alpine ski team which won two state championships during her career, and she worked as a ski instructor at Waterville Valley. She was on the chairlift when she found out that she got accepted into her “dream college,” she said, which nearly caused her to drop her phone. Jones also played soccer, coached for the town’s Parks and Recreation Department, and worked as a theater tech.

Jones will be attending Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, where she will study biology. Her father, Fred Jones, was chief medical officer at Lakes Region General Hospital. He passed away unexpectedly on April 27, and her intention is to work in either medicine or public health.

“I’d like to follow in those footsteps,” Jones said.

Tyler Browne is the elder statesman of the class. He recently turned 19, as he ended up a year behind his age group when his family moved to Gilford from Ireland when he was 7. He said Gilford was a “friendly” place to move to, and he found a home on the theater and choral stages. Outside of school, he studied ballet and Irish step dancing.

Perhaps because of his extra year of wisdom, Browne said he fell into the role of advisor and confidante, listening to their worries and helping them to consider the steps that could solve their problems. “In my life, I’ve stepped into that role with my friends and family,” Browne said. He will study health science at the University of New Hampshire, with the intention of becoming a psychiatrist.

Peter Christensen played soccer for a few years and was in a couple of clubs, such as the Spanish Club, but his passion was something he discovered when he was 12 and made his first stop-motion film.

Christensen said, “If I could simplify humanity in one image, it would be people sitting around a campfire and telling stores.” The modern version of that is filmmaking, which is what he will be studying at Emerson College in Boston. Christensen hopes to become a director.

“I’ve always liked the idea of creating something out of nothing,” Christensen said. He has been completing his senior year remotely due to the pandemic, but said he still feels connected to his classmates.

“I haven’t been at the high school in the past year. I do wish everyone luck in their future years,” Christensen said. “I still very much feel proud to be graduating with the Class of 2021.”