‘Enjoy the time you have’

Brenna Sommer is the daughter of Tony and Amanda Sommer of Ellendale. She has two younger siblings, Brooklyn and Jacob. Her plan for the next fall is to attend Minnesota State University in Mankato, where she will major in communication sciences and disorders.

 

While in high school, Sommer has been part of the competitive cheer and sideline cheer teams. She has represented her classmates as an officer with the student council, been a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, was selected for the National Honor Society, and competed with the Knowledge Bowl team.

 

Sommer has been active and volunteered with numerous organizations and events. She has participated in 4-H, has volunteered for the NRHEG preschool, Adopt-a-Highway, Red Cross blood drive, the Ellendale food shelf, and Feed My Starving Children. She has taken part in youth cheer camps and has helped elementary students with crafts and in-class projects.

 

Sommer is a certified nursing assistant (CNA); she works at Good Samaritan Society in Albert Lea.

 

Of achieving a 4.0 grade point average and being named a co-valedictorian, she says “I feel very proud and honored.” She says her family is very proud and have supported her throughout her high school career.

 

Sommer advises students younger than herself, “Don’t hesitate to always try your hardest to succeed in school. Ask lots of questions; surround yourself with people who will support you and push you to be better.”

 

Becoming a valedictorian, Sommer says, has been a goal for her since ninth grade. To achieve it, she says, she “continually pushed myself to achieve it with the help of my family and teachers.”

 

She says she will miss being part of football, being in the cafeteria over lunch, and “getting to talk with Mr. Ferber every day before I go to help in the preschool.”

 

Among her favorite memories she names homecoming week, taking part in prom activities with all her friends, and competing in cheer events with her teammates. “Some of my best memories were spent watching wrestling and also getting doughnuts at the breakfast every Wednesday morning.”

 

Her favorite classes were advanced placement European history and Spanish; her least favorite was physics.

 

Sommer names three favorite teachers. One of them is Duey Ferber, who, she says, “makes me laugh” and is fun to talk with. Also a favorite has been Senora Joan Olson, “because she truly cares about her students, and I know I can talk to her about anything. Susan Schaub, a former NRHEG teacher “was such a good math teacher,” who “always helped me with whatever I needed.”

 

As her academic career moves forward, Sommer says she looks forward to meeting new friends, and is excited to be working toward her future career as a speech language pathologist. In ten years, she expects to be a college graduate with a master's degree in speech language pathology; she hopes to be working in an area elementary school.

 

If she were able to travel back in time and offer advice to herself as she entered high school, Sommer says she would have said, “Just be yourself; don’t worry about what other people think of you. Take in each moment and enjoy the time you have.”