Suwannee Valley Grad Scene 2020 | Page 22

Mosteller proud of strong Class of 2020 by Hayli Zuccola If there’s one thing Sage Mosteller embraced at Hamilton County High School it was school involvement — an area she thrived in through club memberships, playing soccer and filling leadership roles. Whether it was Art Club, of which she was president; History Club, where she served as secretary; BETA Club; her vice president and president positions during her time in Student Government or her title as varsity soccer captain, Mosteller never strayed from an opportunity to participate in school activities. While her continued involvement allowed for lasting friendships and once-in-a-lifetime memories like visiting Washington D.C. with SGA to watch the presidential inauguration, Mosteller also excelled in educational accomplishments like making the honor roll, being named the HCHS Sunshine State Scholar and earning the Principal’s Award. Although the current pandemic put a dent in customary end-of-high-school celebrations, Mosteller, who plans on attending Santa Fe College in the fall to study zoology, notes that her classmates have overcome their senior year struggles together. “I guess I’d just like to say that Class of 2020 is always, will always be strong and we’re always going to be stronger together,” she said in a phone interview. Busy Perez made his mark at HCHS by Hayli Zuccola From being a member of BETA Club, Hispanic Heritage Club, Theatre and TV Production to joining other organizations like Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), Student Government and Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT), Malakai Perez never had time for boredom in high school. When he wasn’t traveling with SWAT to Tallahassee to propose bills to congressmen or going to Washington D.C. as the SGA class president to watch the presidential inauguration, Perez spent his time playing varsity soccer where he witnessed the high school team become district runner-ups — the best finish in the program’s history. “I’ve seen this program grow and what it’s become and it’s just really nice to see it all come to a point where like we’re a reputable team,” Perez said in a phone interview. After graduation, Perez’ plans include attending Santa Fe College and later transferring to the University of Florida to earn a degree in computer science — a path he’s been interested in since seventh grade. Although his senior year at Hamilton County High School was impacted by the COVID-19 coronavirus, Perez is doing his best to look at the pandemic from a unique perspective. “Not everybody will be able to say they’re the Covid Class, you know, like 20 years from now we’re going to look back on this like wow, we really shut down the country for 3-4 months,” he said. 22 Suwannee Valley Grad Scene | 2020