Inter-Lakes Top 10 have eyes set on a better world

MEREDITH — The top 10 graduates of Inter-Lakes High School are planning to launch into the world to help improve lives, crunch numbers, dance and travel.

Alec Adorno, of Meredith, will be studying finance at UNH this fall. “I’ve taken all of the business classes here, and one at [Lakes Region Community College]. It’s interested me more than the other classes I’ve taken,” he said.

He intends to start a career by working in data analytics or investment banking.

Adorno, who played quarterback, said many of his favorite memories from school were sports-related. In addition to leading the football team to the state championship match, he also played baseball and basketball, and was named captain in all three sports. He was also treasurer of NHS, was a member of FBLA and participated in the unified sports program.

Adorno is hoping to explore more of the world — his first international trip will take him to the Mediterranean this summer — and he sees a more metropolitan life for his adult self.

“I think, for me, I would want to live in the city, not around here, go to a different place and try new things,” he said.

A Sandwich resident, Laura Cove is also drawn to the medical field. She will be attending Wellesley College in Massachusetts, where she plans to study chemistry or biology to prepare her for medical school. Ultimately, she would like to become a surgeon.

“Having that be my job sounds really fulfilling,” Cove said, adding she’s specifically interested in oncology. “I’m sure everyone has had a personal experience with someone who had cancer, to be able to bring that loved one back would be very impactful for them, and for me,” Cove said.

Cove has played volleyball, run cross-country, played tennis and competed on the Nordic ski team. Some of her favorite moments were while skiing, often at the Sandwich Fairgrounds, where the landscape can be picturesque, especially at sunset.

Cove is vice president of the National Honor Society and a member of student council for two years. She participated in the St. Paul’s School summer program, where she studied molecular biology, which she said solidified her decision to pursue medicine.

As an adult, Cove said, “I want to be a good person and help people in whatever way I can. Right now I want to be a surgeon, but that could change. That would be really fulfilling to me.”

Brogan Donnelly, of Meredith, will be heading to Bentley University in Massachusetts to study finance. He said he has always liked math, and in calculus class his teacher used finance as a real-world application. “That made me want to pursue it further,” he said.

Donnelly said he would like to work for a company to help manage their finances, or as a consultant able to provide analysis from an outside perspective.

A receiver and linebacker, Donnelly said the most recent football season was a favorite high school memory, particularly because of support the team received from the community.

“We made it to the championships. We didn’t win, but it was a lot of fun.”

In addition to football, Donnelly was a member of Future Business Leaders of America, and worked at Moulton Farm, where he enjoyed being outdoors and seeing so many members of the school community.

In coming years, “I’d like to travel a lot, and study abroad,” Donnelly said. “Thanks to Inter-Lakes for giving me all the opportunities I’ve had.”

Meredith Gerken, who lives in Meredith, is another dancer at The Studio, and isn’t yet hanging up her jazz shoes. She will be attending Rutgers University in New Jersey to study dance.

Gerken has been dancing since the age of 3. “I just find it’s something I’ve put my energy into for so long, it’s something I’m so passionate about. When thinking about college, I couldn’t think about leaving it behind,” she said. “It’s something I always loved, and couldn’t imagine living without.”

Gerken hopes to forge a career dancing commercially, such as on Broadway or touring with different artists. “I feel like there’s so many options you could do — dance in movies, music videos,” she said.

One of her favorite memories from high school was using her stage experience to help whip her class into shape for the lip sync competition.

“It’s fun and funny to teach the boys, and everyone who doesn’t do it often, how to dance and put it together. And it’s time that our whole class got to spend together.”

Gerken joined class leadership this year, which she appreciated because it gave her a perspective on how much work goes into large events, and she was able to do more community service. She is also a member of FBLA.

As an adult, “I really just hope I am able to be a professional dancer after college, keep persevering because it’s not easy. But I hope I stick with it and my dreams come true,” Gerken said.

Sebastian Hart, of Meredith, will be studying business at UNH this fall, a decision sparked by his father.

“My dad started a business, and that really inspired me. He does international travel for high school and college groups. He gets to travel a lot and meet cool people, that inspired me to do the same,” Hart said. He hopes to join his father’s business so he can explore the world, and help others to do the same.

Hart’s favorite destination so far has been Morocco, which he thought would be an “average trip,” he said. “I had no idea it was so beautiful ... it was really fun.”

Hart moved to Meredith during his first year of high school, and said, “I feel like all the students and teachers were so welcoming, it was really great.” He said he felt especially at home with his sports family, saying he “found my people on that soccer team.”

Hart was captain of his soccer team and a member of NHS.

For his future, he said he wants to travel.

“It just interests me to see different people, different cultures from where I am now, different landscapes,” Hart said. “I think it builds my understanding of different people and cultures, it helps me to take different parts of their culture to improve my life.”

Cecilia Hornhokl, of Center Harbor, is off to study nursing at the University of New Hampshire.

“I’ve always gravitated toward the science classes here,” Hornkohl said, and nursing brings together all of the sciences, which is what she said she likes about it. “And it’s helping people, too.”

Hornkohl isn’t certain how she’ll start her nursing career, but has an idea about where it's headed.

“I do know that I at least want to go for my master’s degree. I think my ultimate end goal would be to be a nurse practitioner.”

She said she had a “great four years" at Inter-Lakes, and some of her fondest memories come from her time as a student-athlete.

“I played volleyball and we were back-to-back state champions,” she said. In addition to volleyball, Hornkohl is a dancer at The Studio at Meredith Bay. She also has been class vice president all four years, and this year was president of student council. In between all of those pursuits, she worked at Lee’s Candy Kitchen, where her favorite treat is coconut-almond bites dipped in chocolate.

Hornkohl is hoping her career will allow her to see more of the world.

“I would like the chance to study abroad, I don’t know if that’s possible with my major,” she said. “I do like the opportunity to travel as a nurse and work in different countries,” Hornkohl said, referring to programs in countries such as Spain. “Or Poland would be pretty cool, too. A totally different experience.”

Leo Kusch, from Sandwich, is off to Dartmouth College, where he plans to study astronomy and physics but, “might switch to engineering.”

“I spent a lot of my childhood being interested in sci-fi books, my dad was into it as well,” Kusch said. He said he plans to get into engineering at some point, perhaps in graduate school if he sticks with his plan, as he’s primarily interested in building things.

Kusch has some experience already, having spent four years helping to build the robot for the school’s robotics team, which two years ago went to the national championships. He is hoping to be part of the generation that will create the next phase of human exploration and industry.

“It’s super exciting that in my lifetime, we’re laying the groundwork for more space travel. Even if I don’t get to spend much time in space,” it’s exciting to be at the forefront of such a such a moment.

Kusch’s favorite high school memory was during winter carnival “and being part of our lip sync. Our entire grade gets into it, we designed T-shirts, it’s really fun,” he said, noting at one point in the show he got to show off his Elvis Presley impersonation.

As an adult, Kusch said, “I’d love to be in a place in the future where I could foster dogs. I love animals, and there’s so many dogs that don’t have homes. My whole family is allergic to dogs, but I would be able to [foster them], because I’m not.”

Isaac Nudd-Homeyer, from Sandwich, will be attending the University of Vermont, where he plans to study mechanical engineering.

“It’s something I’ve been into for a while,” he said, and has been able to explore through his classes and an internship with Eptam Plastics. He’s attracted to the field, he said, because “the goal is to improve people’s lives.” Mechanical engineers gave the world some things we often take for granted, such as escalators and elevators, and things like artificial joints and other medical devices which allow people to continue living independently.

Nudd-Homeyer said he appreciates his ability to access classes beyond the Inter-Lakes campus, such as at Moultonborough Academy or the Huot Career and Technical Center in Laconia, and that district staff “will help you reach your goals even if the classes can’t be scheduled at Inter-Lakes.”

A year-round runner, Nudd-Homeyer founded the indoor track team so he could continue training through the winter, and last year was part of a 4X400 relay team who set a new school record. “Getting that my junior year was a fantastic feeling.”

As for goals for the future, Nudd-Homeyer said, “I would like to create something that’s my own, invent something new, figure out something that’s never been thought of before. If I can invent something that betters people’s lives, that would be a pretty solid thing.”

Keegan Snyder, of Meredith, will be studying cybersecurity and computer science at Keene State College.

“I always had an interest in computers since I was a kid,” Snyder said. “I hope to get a job in the cybersecurity field and work for a business.”

Snyder’s favorite high school memory was his senior prom. “I liked the after prom, spending time with my friends,” he said. A four-year soccer player, he also relished the chance to play in the homecoming match this year. “That was fun, being under the lights with the good soccer community we have.”

In his future, Snyder said “I would like to own a nice house with my family, and I would like to still be in touch with my friends from college and high school.”

Ruby Walker, from Meredith, is an animal lover who will be following her heart to San Diego State University, to study marine biology.

She traces her college decision to one day about a decade ago, when she saw a movie about sharks at an IMAX theater. She’s particularly excited about how the university partners with the nearby San Diego Zoo.

“When I was looking at college majors and not sure what I would do, I thought that would be something I would enjoy,” Walker said. She hopes to put that education to use in a “hands-on” capacity. “I think rescue is more what I’m into.”

Walker said her lasting memories of Inter-Lakes will be the relationships she’s formed with her teachers, specifically Whitney Sullivan, who teaches business and advises the FBLA club. “She’s like a second mom to us,” Walker said.

In addition to FBLA, Walker is a class officer and member of NHS. She also dances at The Studio.

Though she’s crossing the country for college, Walker said her future self “wants to make sure she stays in touch with all her friends from school and Meredith, especially because she’s going to be so far away, keep those connections with the people who treated her so well.”