Cocalico High School
Abby Forrester
Junior
Abby Forrester, daughter of Elizabeth and Dan Forrester, is currently a junior at Cocalico High School. Abby is working hard to succeed in many ways as she nears adulthood, but right now her main focus is her course load in school. She is taking AP Civics and Government, Sociology, Spanish III, Introduction to Forensics, Physics, Applied Calculus, and AP Literature. In addition to this extensive schedule, she is involved in National Honor Society, Global Scholars, Leo Club, and she plays softball. This all has led Abby to dream about a career in Environmental Studies and possibly a minor in Spanish. “I then hope to be able to apply that degree in advocating for climate change and spreading awareness about such issues through different scientific studies,” she stated. In order to achieve this dream, she is already looking at some colleges such as Franklin and Marshall, Bucknell, University of Pittsburgh, and some others out of state.
Abby’s aspirations are not just limited to inside school; she also works at Village Haus and enjoys spending time with friends and listening to music. She values this time with friends saying, “No matter what we are doing, I am always happier when I am around them.” Being so open in front of people was not always this easy for Abby. She described her experience growing as an individual in high school and learning to prioritize herself while becoming more sociable to people she doesn’t know even though, “it can be intimidating.” A specific quote that has gotten her through these times is, “What’s the point of having a voice if you’re going to be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?” Abby might use her voice during her plans to travel to Venice, Italy, in the future. Cocalico wishes Abby all the best!
Written by: Hanna Weller
Ansley Lagos
Senior
Ansley Lagos, daughter of Edson and Lori Lagos, is a senior at Cocalico High School. Ansley is very involved at the school with National Honor Society, LEO Club, and a prior participation in the school choir and band. She has taken a full course load in her high school career that includes Advanced Placement Government and Politics, Honors Biology, Anatomy, and Sociology through Dual Enrollment at Harrisburg Area Community College.
Ansley wants to become an Occupational Therapist, which is what led her to apply to Duquesne, Scranton, and the University of Pittsburgh. She is currently deciding where she will commit.
Outside of school, Ansley stays active in her community. She spends parts of her week working at the Keystone Villa Retirement Home as a server. Ansley also gives up her time to volunteer and tutor individuals with Down Syndrome at Gigi’s Playhouse in Lancaster. While she may have a busy schedule, she also has visions of where she would love to go in her adult life, and with her hard work, she deserves it!
If Ansley could go anywhere in the world, it would be Hawaii. Maybe while she’s there she will find time to do some things she enjoys in her life! This includes thrift shopping or pulling her flute out of storage to practice! Since she’s no longer in the band, the latter might prove to ruin the peaceful sounds of Hawaii, but as one of her idols Bob Ross says, “We don’t make mistakes, just happy accidents.”
Written by: Hanna Weller
Hannah Bruce
Junior
Hannah Bruce, daughter of Amy and Alfred Bruce, is already so involved in this school and it is only her junior year. She is currently taking AP Language and Composition, Civics and Government, Choir 2, and Honors Precalculus and Trigonometry. Next semester she will be taking Physics, Journalism, German 3, and Introduction to Forensics. On top of this vigorous course load, she is involved in Choir, Band, Choralaires, Chamber Choir, NHS, and Global Scholars. She is especially proud of her position as treasurer in the Tri-M Honor Society, her position as Senior Class President, and her role as Sergeant at Arms in Student Government, along with being on the varsity tennis team. While juggling all of this, Hannah has sustained over a 4.0 GPA during her entire school career.
In her scarce free time, Hannah does many things outside of school. She currently has a job at Boehringer’s Drive-In, and when she is not there, she is playing with her dog Penelope. She also has played piano since she was 2.5 years old; this love of music led her to enjoy her favorite band, Greta Van Fleet. She is fond of their songs “Heat Above” and “Age of Man.” In one of their songs, “Broken Bells,” they sing, “When out of silence we will sing, and even broken bells will ring.” This resonates with her because she says, “Basically this part means that bad things are going to happen but a lot of the time, they happen for a reason and you can learn from them. Also, that even if you’re broken, you’ll be okay and fulfill your potential.”
Hannah is not sure what she plans on doing after high school, but she does hope to travel to Venice, Italy. With Hannah’s positive, inspirational attitude, and her hardworking character, everyone knows she will get where ever she wishes to be in life.
Written by: Hanna Weller
Angel Yang
Senior
Angel, daughter of Lia and Chia Yang, is a very involved student her senior year here at Cocalico High School. This year she will juggle her course load of AP Calculus AB and BC, AP Language and Composition, Introduction to Psychology, AP Physics, AP Computer Science, and Spanish 4, along with many extracurriculars.
Angel is involved in NHS, and this year she is a committee liaison. She is also an officer of the LEO Club, and last year in this position, she helped organize a Mini-THON charity event. Angel also includes the Quiz Bowl team in her schedule.
While keeping her incredible grades and helping to organize events, she has managed to design her graduating class’s annual t-shirts for the past two years, and she designed the senior yard sign this year. She will no doubt get into a great college, her top two choices being Swarthmore and Haverford. While there, she wants to go for a degree in the science field.
Angel was asked where she would go if she could go anywhere in the world, and her heartwarming answer was, “I would go to Laos because I think it would be great to reconnect with family members and dive deeper into my culture.” I’m sure she has many other places she wishes to go in her lifetime as well, which would directly line up with a quote she finds important by Mr. Worldwide as he once stated, “Mr. Worldwide.” You never know, maybe as she’s traveling “Worldwide,” she will learn how to finally ride a bike.
Written by: Hanna Weller
Hailey Haldeman
Senior
Hailey Haldeman, daughter of Glenn and Tammy Haldeman, is an amazing student and person all around. She is involved in many extracurriculars that include band, Environmental Club, National Honor Society, and a math competition team. While juggling all of this, she is taking a heavy course load her senior year here at Cocalico High School. This course load includes Introduction to Coding, Financial Literature, AP Calculus, AP Microeconomics, AP Computer Science, and Physics. Her hard work has paid off all through high school! Hailey is an AP Scholar, student of the month in Science, English, and Business (twice!), and she was 15th in the nation for 2019 Daisy National bb Gun Championship Match. With this resume she will have no problem applying to colleges! Her top choice right now is Millersville, where she hopes to go for a degree in computer science to become a software developer.
Hailey is not just spending her time in school; she does so much more. How, you may ask? Well, a quote that she lives by is from Mitch Albom’s The Five People You Met in Heaven: “Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to.” She lives up to this quote by working a job at Henry Schein as a picker and packer. In her free time, she collects coins and takes care of her chihuahua named Cue, perhaps while drinking either lemonade or fruit punch, her favorite drinks. In the future she really hopes to travel to France to try local food and see the Eiffel tower at night. Unfortunately, it would be hard to see her favorite animal there, a penguin, or it would be a grand slam!
Written by: Hanna Weller
Lia Finnegan
Senior
Lia Finnegan, daughter of Amy and Jim Finnegan, is applying herself this year to make huge impacts in the future. Her course load in her senior year at Cocalico High School includes AP Language and Composition, AP Calculus AB and BC, AP Physics, and Spanish four. Lia carries this course load with her while also being involved in many extracurriculars. Lia is not only on the varsity field hockey team but she also plays varsity lacrosse. In the school she is involved in Student Government and National Honor Society. Throughout her high school career, she has been made Senior Class President, Student Government President, Field Hockey Captain, and a National Honor Society Officer. This incredible resume is allowing her to apply to a wide variety of colleges, such as University of Notre Dame, Villanova University, Saint Joseph’s University, University of Pennsylvania, Boston College, and Northeastern University. All of this hopefully will pay off to her dream job of being a veterinarian at a zoo.
While Lia is brilliant in the classroom and community, she also has a vibrant personality. If she could go anywhere in the world, she would go to Greece or France. Maybe she would travel there with her Bernese Mountain Dog, Ziva, and her Saint Bernard, Maggie! Whether Lia is climbing the Eiffel Tower and exploring the Parthenon with her dogs or starting her career as a veterinarian, we all wish her the best in her future because she will affect this world in a positive way. Like her favorite quote says, “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
Written by: Hanna Weller