MILLERSPORT – Millersport High School 2026 Outstanding Senior Keegan Spears is not a follower. Quite the opposite, in fact.
“I’m very involved in leadership and very good with guiding my classmates, my teammates,” Spears said. “I’m cheer captain, student council president, sweet corn festival queen. So when they told me I was the outstanding senior, that was the first thing that came to mind. It was just my sense of leadership and my guidance and my drive for our school and our community.”
As for leadership, Spears knows what she wants to do.
“I want the best for my other seniors,” she said. “I want the best for my cheer team. I want the best for our school. I don’t necessarily have a set way to do things. I just have a lot of passion and a lot of drive behind how I do things. And I think just really emotionally connecting with everybody and just trying to meet everybody in the middle, where I think is best and what they want to do. Then, trying to navigate that.”
Spears earned a 3.7 grade point average. She said it was challenging to maintain high grades along with her activities, but that knowing what she wanted to do helped her get to where she wanted to be.
“I want to go to college,” Spears said. “I have all of these goals for my future. I think just keeping that mindset of what I want for the future and where I would like to go and just keeping that high standard has really helped push me to get to where I am now.”
She will attend Ohio State University-Newark for two years and then transfer to the Columbus campus for two years to study education and become a teacher.
“I have had a lot of teachers that have impacted me, both educationally and emotionally personally and really helped me in like dark times in my life,” Spears said. “I want to be that for other students and other kids of that nature. I want to help shape the next generation. I want to help push them to be their best. And I want to be that safe space for kids. Because I know a lot of times in school, kids struggle.”
She said it’s important to keep priorities straight in order to become a successful student.
“Really pushing yourself to do good academically,” Spears said. “Really just trying your best even if you’re not a straight-A student.”
She also said new students should get involved in clubs and sports.
“Just really try to enjoy high school,” Spears said. “Don’t slack and don’t let it slip away. Because as a senior, I’ve realized it goes away so quick.”
She said she’ll miss her high school days.
“I’m very social with everybody,” Spears said. “So I know that once it’s gone, I’m going to miss it.”
jbarron@gannett.com
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This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Millersport senior Keegan Spears was about leading the way
Reporting by Jeff Barron, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette / Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
