Kennedy Soper was humbled to find out she is the Eagle Grove Class of 2020 school Valedictorian. In her gentle demeanor, she gave some credit for this accomplishment to her mother. While there’s no doubt it was Soper who put in all the study time and did the work, she admits it was her mother, Mindy, who always instilled in her the importance of doing well in school. “But I never thought I would be at the top of my class. I just did what I had to do,” Soper said about her school work habits. In addition to being a top student, Soper also participated in FFA, FCCLA, Spanish Club, LEOs, and the Talented and Gifted program while attending Eagle Grove High School She also served as the Student Council Secretary her freshman, sophomore, and senior years. “This helped me utilize leadership skills and work with all the grade levels to see what they wanted improved in our school,” she said. Soper also learned about leadership, responsibility, and time management skills by holding down a job at Eagle Pharmacy while still attending classes.
Utilizing these time management skills are one of the things that Soper attributes to being a successful student.
“It’s about balancing school work with jobs or sports. You just really need to put in the work, do your homework, study hard and do well on tests,” she offered as advice for her underclassmen who want to aim high in their academic endeavours.
Some of her other study secrets include making note cards, studying a little bit every day instead of cramming before a test, and using Quizlet. It’s these techniques that helped Soper earn a 4.0 throughout her entire junior and senior year, and eventually landed her in the spot of Valedictorian.
Although Soper wasn’t able to give her traditional Valedictorian address to her fellow classmates on Sunday, May 17, she did get to give her speech on live-feed for everyone to watch. This memorable moment was orchestrated by Mickey Cooper and the staff of Eagle Pharmacy. Cooper stated they are so proud of her that there was no way they were going to let it go unnoticed.
Soper is still hoping that if things go according to plan, and if COVID-19 doesn’t disrupt the ceremony again, she will still get to give her Commencement speech live to graduation attendees in mid-June for the rescheduled ceremony.
Soper said what she enjoyed most about her time at Eagle Grove High School was the teachers.
“They are pretty awesome. They’re really fun people and they make learning fun,” she explained. “When you’re in that more relaxed, fun environment, you hold onto more things and make more memories.”
For those students who will return to the halls of Eagle Grove High School next year, Soper encourages them to put themselves out there.
“I was a shy kid so join clubs, speak up in class – you can connect with people you didn’t think you would…the more you reach out the more experiences you’ll have,” she said.
This fall, Soper plans on attending Buena Vista University majoring in biomedical science. She will also minor in business management. She said her dream job is to work in a lab and do research – and she discovered this through her courses she took at the North Central Iowa Career Academy during high school.
While Soper admits she hopes to go live and work a while in Arizona after she graduates from college, she plans to one day return to Iowa and the Eagle Grove area.
“I see myself coming back here and settling in at one of the local hospitals,” she concluded.
