Tawna Lanckriet is a senior at Julesburg High School. She is the daughter of JD and Tara Lanckriet. Tawna plans to attend Chadron State College to pursue a degree in Pre-Veterinary Medicine. Then she is going to transfer to Colorado State University to obtain her Doctorate degree in Veterinary Medicine. She has spent her senior year doing an internship at the Julesburg Vet Clinic. Her favorite subject in school is science. She also loves chemistry, biology, and art. She does not have a best memory from high school but her favorite part of this year was homecoming week. In that week she won homecoming queen.
If Tawna could change anything about her high school experience, it would obviously be her last part of her senior year. She said, “The coronavirus is something that is irreversible and unavoidable, but if I could prevent it, I would. It has affected my senior year in the worst way. Most seniors don’t realize how lucky and privileged they are to have a senior year prom, graduation, and the ability to make memories with their friends that will last a lifetime.”
Even though Tawna’s senior year was cut short, she feels her biggest accomplishment was being very involved in the school and the community. Tawna feels as though she was able to succeed in everything she was involved in. Tawna says of her high school experience, “I have learned that you cannot take things for granted and to enjoy the present as much as you can. Life moves faster than you realize and before you know it, it's all in the past.” Some of Tawna’s favorite activities include playing volleyball and basketball. She really loves swimming at Lake McConaughy. Tawna especially enjoys playing with her dogs and spending time outdoors with her family.
Tawna’s biggest influence has been her older sister, Toni. She has always been a person who doesn’t let stereotypes or others’ opinions get to her. Toni is a very caring person who has always been there for Tawna when no one else was. Toni has been through a lot, but despite everything, she always finds a positive and makes everyone else around her feel a little better, too.
Tawna believes that she needs to improve on a lot of things. She thinks she is far from perfect. She said, “Sometimes I feel like I need to work on being a little more selfless. Other times it occurs to me that I need to be a little more patient. My point is, I have a lot to improve on, but so does everyone else. No one is perfect and we learn as we go. There is always something new to improve on.” It is clear that Tawna has learned many life lessons from Julesburg High School. She will take these experiences onto her next chapter in life. We all wish Tawna the very best in her future!