I moved to Kennebunk High School from Massabesic High School in my freshman year. Moving to a whole new district was scary enough, but it was the high school part of it that scared me the most, including trying to be a three-sport athlete in high school. The other students all grew up playing their sports together. I know with my sports, team members built a bond with their teams, and by high school, they keep the same routine and relationships. To be a part of a new team and then letting me into their family really made me feel welcomed. Sophomore year is where I made a lot of friends. I met my best friend Hannah D’Orso in indoor track and field where we then became best friends. I want to thank her for helping me improve in the throwing events by cheering me on and making many great memories from all the indoor and outdoor meets.
Hannah is a D1 track star at the University of Hartford in Connecticut. Over last summer she made a movie. She had a lot of our other friends over, and we just had fun. While making the movie I got to hang out with her as much as I could and make memories with her and my other friends before they left for college.

One event that I remember being particularly enjoyable was when my friends and I were in the woods for a picnic scene for Hannah’s movie, and we didn’t have food. I had SunButter on hand (sunflower seed butter), and Hannah and I both had some instead of real food. Then, as we were leaving the woods, I didn’t realize we were walking in poison ivy (well, what I thought was poison ivy) so I started singing “I’m walking on poison ivy, ahhhh it’s time to feel good!”

I loved making the movie with my friends. Hannah has helped me make good decisions in life. And to think that if I didn’t transfer to Kennebunk I would have never met Hannah or my other friends! If it wasn’t for Hannah, I wouldn’t have done outdoor track and I would still be playing softball. Hannah is now a track star for Kennebunk and now for her college as well. She currently has six school records, all of which are a combination of outdoor/indoor track. Hannah can be very inspirational when she wants to do something, she will do her best to get it. She currently has an internship with ESPN that she has worked very hard to get.

My message to everyone is whether you are a freshman in high school, or an incoming college student is to make friends with someone older so you can look up to them and try to follow in their footsteps.