I-LHS's top ten has service on the brain

The top 10 graduating seniors at Inter-Lakes High School will be heading in their own directions after the graduation ceremonies are held on Sunday, June 21 at 6 p.m. at Meadowbrook Performing Arts Center. Two of them will be pursuing an education in education, and several of them are interested in a career in medicine. What all of them share, though, is a desire to make their community and their world a better place through their desired careers.

Adam Leone, a Meredith resident since the 4th grade, will be heading to the University of New Hampshire in the fall to study computer science. His first experience in computer programming came last year. "I thought that was a blast."

He likes computers because "It's very organizes, it's a great career field right now. You can do an incredible amount of things with a simple language," he said. He's attending university on an Air Force ROTC scholarship, so he'll be entering the armed services after graduation.

Sandwich resident Eliza Berg will be studying international relations and dance at Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. "I'm always interested in international affairs — I'm going to go for it and see what happens," she said. She's been dancing since she was a toddler, so she wants to continue to challenge herself in that way. Berg plans to study abroad in college, and said her dream job would be "Something that would involve me traveling all around the world."

Jillian Claridge, a Meredith resident, will be off to Boston College, where she will study elementary education. Her ultimate goal is to be an elementary principal, and she's been mentoring with Stephen Kelley, principal at Inter-Lakes Elementary, an experience she said has been "awesome." She likes the idea of being a principal, she said, because "It's a lot of working with the kids, and it also involves the community."

Liz Schwartzer, of Meredith, will also be studying education, and she's also been mentoring at the elementary school. She's like to teach elementary school, because she likes helping people to learn new things. And younger children, she said, "behave better than high school students. It feels really good to hep a kid understand something they didn't before." Schwartzer will matriculate to Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y.

Meredith resident Melissa Otis has chosen to study chemistry at the University of New Hampshire. She'd like to someday be a doctor, perhaps a general practitioner. "I'm attracted to medicine in general. I think it's a good way to help people and give back to the community. Also, I like science," she said. She's leaning toward a general practice because "I like that doctor-patient relationship."

Andrew Quinn, of Meredith, is also hoping for a career in medicine. He'll be attending the University of New Hampshire and studying nursing. "I've always wanted to get into the medical field — this seemed like a quicker and simpler way to get into medicine... I've always been into science, I'd like to help people when I get older," he said. He's done some job shadowing already, and he's thinking he might specialize in anesthesiology so he can work in the operating room.

Fraser Danielovich, of North Sandwich, is the third member of the top 10 interested in medicine. He recently joined his town's volunteer fire department. His experience there gives him some ideas of what he might like to be, such as a physician's assistant or emergency medical technician. "Public service is what draws me, helping out the community." Also, he likes the rush that comes with the job. "I want something that's got some pressure to it," he said.

Ricky Higginbotham, from the Chemung section of Meredith, will be matriculating to the University of Rhode Island, where he hopes to study civil engineering. "I'm just going to go at it with all I've got... I've always been interested in structures, roads, gradients. I definitely like the idea of improving things in society," he said.

Tom Lehmann, of Sandwich, will be taking a year off from education. He'll be dedicating next year to volunteering. For the first six months, he'll be in Ghana with the Global Volunteer Network, where he'll be doing community development work. After that he'll be working with the Student Conservation Association and volunteering at a national park, preferably in Alaska. "I don't really know what I want to do — you can save a lot of time and money if you know what you want to do when you go to college," he said. After the year, he plans to enroll at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., where he might study pre-medicine, or environmental science. His dream job would be "heading a non-profit organization that directly helps people or the environment."

Megan Borders is also among the Inter-Lakes top 10 graduates. She was unavailable for interview. She is planning to attend the University of Rhode Island where she'll study pharmacy.