Among the many walls of books in the school library, you are bound to find our school librarian, Mrs. Nguyen. She has been working at Kempner High School for seven years now, and if you don’t already know, she hasn’t always been a librarian.
She studied as Texas State and majored in family and consumer science for her undergraduate and received her Teaching Certificate. Her first five years at Kempner were spent teaching Child Development, Nutrition and Wellness, and Fashion Design classes.
But with inspiration and encouragement from the previous school librarian, Mrs. Vaughan, Mrs. Nguyen received the push she needed to pursue a job as a librarian.
“Ever since I was young, I loved being in the library,” Mrs. Nguyen said. “When I was in seventh grade, I was a library aide.”
Perhaps this was foreshadowing of her future in the house of words. Last year Mrs. Nguyen received her master’s in Library Science through the Texas Woman’s University.
“I want to inspire others with reading and show that it’s fun,” Mrs. Nguyen said.
Teacher Spotlight: Mrs. Jessica Nguyen
A Teacher of Words
By Priya Pai
Mrs. Nguyen revealed that the hardest part about her job is the vast difference from being in a classroom. As a teacher, she would see the same students every day and build relationships, but now, as a librarian, she sees a large number of different students a day for short periods of time, giving her less time to know each student’s ability.
But sometimes, your weakness is also your strength. “Although sometimes it’s hard to help students because I see so many different ones a day and don’t know their talents and abilities, working with a variety of students and working with a variety of different content areas would have to be the best part,” Mrs. Nguyen said. “I think that researching is one of the best skills to have, and to be able to share and teach that skill to so many students is great.”
Mrs. Nguyen’s favorite book is The Hobbit by JR Tolkien, and Tolkien is also her favorite author. She recommends reading the Tayshas novels, which are books selected by the Tayshas Committee of the Texas Library Association. Some books on the Tayshas list are: The Fault in Our Stars, The Diviners, and many more.
One last piece of advice Mrs. Nguyen has for teenagers is to always apply yourself. “Take advantage of the time you have when you’re young and put in effort,” Mrs. Nguyen said. “Don’t get up caught up in high school drama because it’s not going to be as meaningful when you grow up, but what will be meaningful is how hard you tried and all the positive experiences you had.”
Among all of the great students at Kempner High School, sophomore Laura Pepper is one of the especially outstanding students. She is involved in over five organizations, which include Student Council, the Kempner Thespian Society which she is secretary of, C2, Kempner Interact club, Spanish Honor Society, not to mention a being a Sunday school teacher at her church and taking singing lessons on the side.
Besides being involved in Kempner High School, she is also very talented.
“I would say my best talent is musical performances.” Laura said. “I love how they can tell an elaborate story using music and acting.” Laura recently competed with Tori Bures in the Thespian competition against several other schools in the category of duet musical performance. She has acted in many plays and was the manager of Kempner’s All in the Timing play in October.
Although theatre is a big part of her life, she says English is her favorite subject. “I have a passion for writing, specifically poetry,” Laura said. “Poetry allows me to express my feelings in a positive way.”
Her inspiration and appreciation of life comes from her religion, which is a large part of her life.
Posted October 3, 2013
Student Spotlight: Laura Pepper
By Priya Pai
Laura would like to be a middle school or high school English teacher when she grows up.
“At first I wanted to be an actor but I realized how hard that life is,” Laura said. “Besides, if I’m a teacher, the classroom is my stage to help students learn.”
Positive is the perfect word to describe Laura Pepper.
“Laura is one of those people who can brighten up a room as soon as she walks in,” Mrs. Drone, Laura’s English teacher said. “Her positive demeanor and smile contribute to her wonderful personality.”
Laura’s favorite thing about Kempner High School is the friendliness she sees in the teachers and kids. Laura also loves how diverse Kempner is, allowing her to find friends in everyone she meets.
“Laura Pepper is one of the sweetest, most selfless, loving people I’ve ever met,” sophomore Natalie Sulit said. “She sets a great example for people to follow.”
Laura’s personality and character is most influenced by her role model, her sister.
“My sister, Abby Pepper, is so talented and smart,” Laura said. “I always base my decisions off of her. She represents Christ really well.”
Laura's words of advice for teenagers is not to give in.
"I think that everyone should always stand up for what they believe in," Laura said. "You should give it your all."
The Secret Behind the Valedictorian and Salutatorian's Success
By Priya Pai
Valedictorian-Shane O'Dwyer
Shane O’Dwyer has earned his spot as the top student in the senior class, not only by hard work but by determination.
“My motivation to work hard in high school was to prove to myself that I could do it,” O’Dwyer said. “I didn’t believe that I could attain valedictorian. These past four years have been an effort to prove myself wrong.”
Shane has accomplished many feats in high school, one of them being his involvement in speech and debate. He qualified for the National Forensic League two years in a row as ell as winning many awards in debate throughout high school, such as placing in the St. Mark’s Tournament and being champion of this year’s UIL regional meet in Lincoln-Douglas debate, advancing to state.
“Speech and debate has shaped my writing, presentation, and research skills over the years, and provided me with some of my closest friends,” O’Dwyer said.
Shane has also obviously been talented in his academics and earned many leadership roles such as the President of English Honor Society and Vice President of the Speech and Debate team.
“I believe the secret to success is working smart and networking,” O’Dwyer said. “Knowing your limits as well as your strengths and weakness should factor in to what you focus on and how you allot your time. Additionally, surrounding yourself with other bright, dedicated minds can provide an outlet for times when you need a helping hand or guidance.”
Shane will be attending the University of Texas at Austin next year and will be a business major.
Shane left us with some advice to students at Kempner.
“To be successful, you must criticize yourself before others,” O’Dwyer said. “Thoughtful reflection upon your flaws is a great way to improve all aspects of your life.
#3 Khurem Dehri-Sam Houston State University (music education major)
1. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Conducting the New York Philharmonic
2. What was your favorite part of high school?
Being Drum Major of KHS band & Calculus
3. What organization has impacted you academically and socially?
Band
4. What advice would you give students?
If you enjoy what you do, then it won’t feel like work.
5. Who/what motivates you or serves as your biggest influence?
Not feeling entitled to anything
#4 Jose Bitanga- The Honors College at University of Houston (Computer Science Major)
1. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I see myself in a graduate school which is hopefully MIT or possibly working for Google or Microsoft.
2. What was your favorite part of high school?
My favorite part of high school was helping people in several ways such as tutoring people in orchestra and chess.
3. What organization has impacted you academically and socially?
Chess club because it’s the place where I hang out the most and it has allowed me to find patterns not only in chess itself but also in several aspects of life. Spanish honor society was very influential in both senses as well.
4. What advice would you give students?
If you have energy and become engaged, life will be more enjoyable.
5. Who/what motivates you or serves as your biggest influence?
I’m motivated by seeing the fun in everything around me and if I had been able to take all the classes in Kempner I would have because everything interests me.
#5 Jennifer Huynh- UT Austin (Biochemistry and Business Major)
1. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I’ll be done with medical school or a specialized school in dermatology or pharmacy.
2. What was your favorite part of high school?
Clubs
3. What organization has impacted you academically and socially?
Student Council and Interact had the biggest impact on my life simply because it taught me many important leadership qualities that I didn't have before.
4. What advice would you give students?
Work hard and play hard. Always push through and never give up.
5. Who/what motivates you or serves as your biggest influence?
I am motivated by the people surrounding me and my family, especially my mom and sister. I also am influenced by my teachers and friends.
#6 Lianne Martin- UT Austin (Chemical Engineering Major)
1. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I see myself traveling a lot internationally; I plan to have a leadership role in engineering working with organic matter.
2. What was your favorite part of high school?
Performing at homecoming games
3. What organization has impacted you academically and socially?
Band hands down. Its time consuming so it forced me to use my time wisely. The atmosphere is open and friendly and conducive to making great memories and friendships.
4. What advice would you give students?
When you finish school, you don’t want to look back and base it on grades. You want to value your experience based on the memories you have made and things you have learned.
5. Who/what motivates you or serves as your biggest influence?
I used to be the best but now it’s about being my best. I have learned that if you compare yourself to others you never going to be satisfied.
#7 Ted Pu Wong- UT Austin (Computer and Electrical Engineering Major)
1. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I’ll be working in a technology related field while cruising around town as a secret billionaire.
2. What was your favorite part of high school?
Definitely the extracurricular activities. I never realized the extent of what goes on among the organizations in Kempner until my latter years of high school.
3. What organization has impacted you academically and socially?
I’ve been part of band throughout middle school and high school, so I’ve known some of those guys for 7 years. t’s been a huge part of my life, and I feel like it’s given me the opportunity needed to make some of the closest friends I’ll ever have. Ultimately, it’s given me fond memories and lessons to carry with me in the future.
4. What advice would you give students?
Having been close to some of the “geniuses” of our school, I can tell you that the only difference between an average person and a genius is the amount of time spent towards their passion. Life is about problems and overcoming those problems. If our lives were perfect, there’d be no point in our existence.
5. Who/what motivates you or serves as your biggest influence?
Honestly it was the motivation to beat some friends of mine in academics. Later on my motivation stemmed from my desire to challenge myself.
#8 Michell Nguyen-UT Austin (pre-pharmacy major)
1. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Having a career as a pharmacist, living in a big house, married, having 2 kids
2. What was your favorite part of high school?
Being able to experience a teenager, friendships, lessons learned, stressful nights, it’s all worth it
3. What organization has impacted you academically and socially?
Student Council
4. What advice would you give students?
Work hard during the week, play hard on the weekends.”
5. Who/what motivates you or serves as your biggest influence?
Parents and family
#9 Jonathan Jao- Rice University (computer science major)
1. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I don’t know, maybe graduate school. I hope to be a professor one day.
2. What was your favorite part of high school?
Social Interactions.
3. What organization has impacted you academically and socially?
Future Programmers of America, Business Professionals of America, and Robotics.
4. What advice would you give students?
Do your best, but know that if you don’t succeed then it’s not the end of the world.
5. Who/what motivates you or serves as your biggest influence?
My family and friends motivate me as well as my teachers and just everyone around me in general with their comments and they keep me going.
#10 Mimi Phan- University of Houston (Pharmacy Major)
1. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I see myself in Pharmacy (PHD), and working with Anti-Bullying Organizations.
2. What was your favorite part of high school?
My favorite part of high school is making new friends and meeting new people.
3. What organization has impacted you academically and socially?
ISACT; We have annual conferences through the district, and this summer I’m actually going to Chicago with Abercrombie and Fitch for Anti-Bullying.
4. What advice would you give students?
Work hard and focus on achieving your goals in what you believe in.
5. Who/what motivates you or serves as your biggest influence?
My family because they haven’t pushed me to do what they want but pushed me to do what I want so I can be happy.
Salutatorian- Vincent Nguyen
Senior Vincent Nguyen has proved his prestige and excellence in academics, earning his spot as salutatorian. Nguyen has worked hard throughout high school and pushed himself to do more than just the minimum.
“I believe the secret to success is the ability to be internally motivated,” Nguyen said. “You have to always know what you want to accomplish and know that you are willing to work extraordinarily hard to be the best at what you do because nobody can do that for you.”
Nguyen participated in many organizations, including the Kempner Speech and Debate team as well as the Interact Volunteering Club.
“Speech and Debate allowed me to discover who I was as a person, how to become an effective speaker and listener, and form some of the best friends in high school, and Interact taught me the importance of leadership and service to one’s community whilst being among peers that I value deeply,” Nguyen said.
In his free time, Nguyen enjoys reading books, watching movies and television, and listening to music. Another important part of Nguyen’s life was the friendships made in high school.
“The best part of high school, regardless where you go, has to always be the friends that you make because the ones I have found I now cherish more than I could have ever possible imagined,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen accredits the greatest influence in his life to his parents, who he calls his backbone and every-loving support. In the fall, Nguyen will be attending Rice University as a chemistry major.
“I have always been goal-oriented but I know that long-term benefits outweigh the immediate benefits that may result from the time spent on short-term fun,” Nguyen said. “Even the most talented fail and only those who work hard that are able to circumvent even the most trying of circumstances.”
New Principal Cultivates Kempner Culture and Pride
By Priya Pai
Mr. Morgan may be new to Kempner High School, but he is not a stranger to the education system.
Having been principal to Paulkeyes Elementary, Walker Station Elementary, Garcia Middle School, and Bowie Middle School, as well as assistant principal at Gilbert Elementary, Morgan is not foreign to the position of principal.
However, Kempner is the first high school he has become acting principal at, marking a new age in his experiences.
“I have wanted to come to high school for several years now,” Morgan said. “I’m very fortunate to work at a school with so much diversity.”
Growing up in the Dallas area, Morgan had always been drawn to teaching and working with youth. Over the years, he has led many youth groups and summer camps.
Morgan attended Stephen F Austin College in Nagadoches, TX pursuing a degree in science and kinesiology.
“I started out as an accounting major and spent a year in that realm, but I realized I didn’t want to sit in an office all day,” Morgan said. “I wanted to coach and teach.”
Morgan has been in the education system for over 15 years now.
Coming to Kempner, Morgan is passionate about sending out a message of pride and inner motivation, creating this year’s theme “I am KHS.”
“It’s important to be a part of the whole culture of the campus,” Morgan said. “I wanted to instill values of helpfulness, seriousness, and inner motivation. I wanted to get people fired up for being a Cougar.”
Morgan wants to motivate kids and take their experience of high school to a new level. He doesn’t want to change a thing, besides amplifying motivation.
“I like how he’s always in the halls,” senior Dinda Aryaputri said. “It’s great that he’s making sure to interact with us and form lasting relationships with us.”
Morgan not only cares about academics but makes sure to have fun too.
At the teacher inservice, when meeting the faculty for the first time, Morgan had the teachers up dancing as well as having the band and cheerleaders perform to start the inservice. Morgan even completed the ALS bucket challenge.
Morgan believes that the students make up the best part of his job and that they are his number one priority.
“I already know that Mr. Morgan is an awesome addition to Kempner,” junior Emily Pham said. “He’s a cultivating an atmosphere of togetherness and school pride.”
Morgan imparts a last few words of advice unto Kempner students.
“I believe that you really should take full advantage of the opportunities you have,” he said. “I want you to take your education seriously because it’s the one thing people can’t take away from you.”
Student Spotlight: Alison Kübenka
By Priya Pai
Alison Kübenka is a familiar name heard repeatedly on the announcements for a number of agriculture awards. With the Fort Bend County Fair, where Kübenka will show one of her pigs, coming up, it’s definite we will hear her name ringing across the school many more times.
Senior Kübenka has been involved with Kempner’s Future Farmers of America for all of her high school career. She has had a lot of success with the organization, becoming an essential member.
Kübenka has raised three hogs through Kempner FFA, all of which have placed in the top ten in the Fort Bend County Fair contests, which usually consists of more than 130 pig entries.
Kübenka’s achievements are the result of hard work.
“All of the oversized belt buckles and ribbons only show the very end of the project,” Kübenka said. “Before we even set foot in the show area, we are at the barn every morning and every night working with our animals.”
Kübenka and other FFA members are obligated to go the barn every 12 hours to feed the animals, clean stalls, run lambs, train goats, walk pigs, or shave steers.
“The animals depend on us to eat and be clean, so no matter if it’s 100 degrees of summer or 100 degrees of a bad fever, we are working to make sure that the animals will be as presentable as they can be come show time,” Kübenka said.
The responsibility of caring and preparing for the animals throughout the year is tremendous, but when show week arrives, the work intensifies.
“This week I’ve been at the barn very early every morning to make sure my pig is fed, walked, weighed, bathed, and her hooves are taken care of before some kids are even out of bed,” Kübenka said. “Honestly the week before show is equally as stressful as the week before school finals.”
As well as the duties associated with caring for animals, there are even more amounts of work to be done to ensure Show day goes smoothly.
They are required to load the trailers and set up the stalls at the Fair. There is also the threat of a participant’s pig being disqualified if the pig’s weight is too high or low.
“For those that make weight and can compete, the rewards make it all worth it if you place in the auction,” Kübenka said. “With my last pig, I got 4,000 dollars with her, and all that money belongs to me and will be going toward my college tuition.”
Kübenka is competing this weekend at the Fair with her pig, Izzie. In the summer, the pig has endured some difficulties with her hind legs, as well as a loss of appetite. The pig has recovered now, but Kübenka fears the past problems might affect this weekend’s Show.
“I have no idea how she will do,” Kübenka said. “This is the hardest I’ve had to work with a pig.”
Kübenka will be showing Izzie this weekend at the Fort Bend County Fair in Rosenburg. Whether the pig places or not, it is apparent Kübenka has put in a lot of effort and tried her best. There’s no doubt that FFA is and will continue to be an important part of Kübenka’s life, no matter the win or loss.
“If I’ve learned anything over the past four years, it’s that we truly aren’t the ones raising these animals,” Kübenka said. “These animals are raising us.”
.
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are!” ~ Coach Stade
Many people grow up with a dream, but not many grow to achieve it. It was in Stafford High School when a linebacker by the name of Richard Stade Jr. set his heart on football. From a young age he, who would later be known as “Coach Stade” had a goal to become a football coach. Ten years later here at the home of the Cougars we have a Texas A&M fan and graduate as our newest Varsity Football Team defensive coach. So far he has led his team towards two victories this season. He has taught at two different schools, John Horn High School in Dallas and Westside High School in Houston.
“I’m excited to be at Kempner High School. I’m enjoying getting to know both my kids in class and also out on the football field,” Coach Stade said.
Not only did he graduate from Texas A&M but he also played at Howard Payne University for two years. As of now he teaches World History and takes a very easy going approach towards education. By the looks of it he also loves his job and his peers, “I think we have a great coaching staff here at Kempner and we all work well with our kids and teams.”
As the year goes on Coach Stade plans on getting to know everyone and just looks forward to having a great year training the boys for success on the field and in the classroom. As he gears up for another game, teaching various plays it is certain his childhood dream has become a reality .
Staff Spotlight: Coach Stade
By Maria Hernandez
Grape Juice: The Story of Mr. Carter Welch
By Patrick Paguio
No Cougars, his last name may be Welch, but that does not mean he has affiliations with the company that brought the nation those tasty fruit snacks and fruit juices (although, that is where his nickname “Grape Juice” originated from).
Mr. Carter Welch, who grew up in Houston, is a graduate of Texas State University with a major in History and a teacher certification. Although before accomplishing his dream to go to TSU, he played baseball while attending San Jacinto College. Last year, before beginning his chapter in the home of the Cougars, he was a student teacher in San Antonio.
Not only does he teach both World Geography and World History, but he also coaches basketball, freshman football, and baseball.
“I’ve only been here for a few months, but I like it so far,” Welch said. “Everybody’s nice, all the teachers help me out because I’m a new teacher and everything.”
Interestingly enough, when asked about his inspiration to get into teaching, he thought he would be great with teaching due to the fact that his parents were teachers as well.
“I took some education classes, and figured out that I thought it’s something I could be good at,” Welch said. “And then with coaching, I always knew I could be a good coach just based on when I was playing, people would ask me stuff, especially with baseball.”
It’s evident that Welch is up to a great start in the home of the Cougars, and the future looks bright for him.
When asked about his advice to all KHS students, Welch had a few wise words.
“Take every subject seriously,” Welch said. “You never know what job you’re gonna end up doing.”
Staff Spotlight: Mr. Smith
By Dorothy Le
Kempner’s new band director, Justin Smith, had had a long history with music.
Since seventh grade, Smith was inspired by his band director to pursue his passion in music. He then went on to pursue a bachelor in music education at the University of Houston and afterwards, went on to teach in the Cy-Fair district for 11 years. Wanting to grow as a teacher, Mr. Smith decided to move down to Fort Bend ISD.
Through the new guidance of Mr. Smith, the Kempner Band has now made an identity for itself by ranking significantly higher in competitions this past season.
“Mr. Smith has helped to change the attitude of the band for the better with positive reinforcement and his deep passion for music,” head drum major, Gabriel Malcalba said. “Along with that, Mr. Smith makes each individual feel special and important to the marching band process.”
Smith turned the band around in a very short amount of time, being the leader the band needed to pursue greatness.
“The students did a better job, I was just there to push them along the right path,” Smith said.
Mr. Smith’s genuine devotion and support pushed the program and students to get better each day. Another goal of his is to shape students to become a lifelong supporter of the arts.
To start, Mr. Smith begins by interacting with the band students at Sugar Land Middle School. By visiting their class weekly and hosting side-by-side events with the high school students, he hopes to recruit many more new members into the band program.
“Mr. Smith does an amazing job of keeping us motivated and keeping the morale high,” freshman Andrew Nguyen said.
The future is bright for the Kempner Band. The band, with the help of Mr. Smith, will aim to be more competitive and to recruit more students, the band has nowhere to go but up. With Mr. Smith here and here to stay, the band upholds a standard above excellence and a goal beyond victory.
“I take great joy in watching students learn to push themselves to a higher level, that’s what makes teaching band such an awesome job,” Smith said.
Teacher Spotlight: Ms. Haley Fragale
A Longhorn’s Road To The Home Of The Cougars
by Patrick Paguio
Literature—her greatest frontier. This is the tale of Ms. Haley Fragale. Her objectives (to name a few): introduce students to the Fireside Poets, to expose the significance of transcendentalism and to bravely venture out to wherever the wind takes her like Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek Voyager.
Growing up in the Sugar Land area, Ms. Fragale graduated from the University of Texas-Austin with a major in English and a minor in a teacher certification program called UTeach. Her inspiration to teach came from her junior and senior AP English teachers and her drill team director.
“I really looked up to those women, and I realized that I wanted to do what they did,” Fragale said. “I kind of wanted to combine both of them into one person.”
Other than the diversity of KHS, she also likes the staff.
“The relationship between teachers and the administrators is a lot better than what I’ve seen from where I did student teaching,” she said.
Not only does Ms. Fragale teach English, she is also the Assistant Kempner Brigade director, which she has during 7th period. According to Fragale the Brigade team is doing an excellent job. The team is currently working on their contest routines and have started weekend practices to prepare.
Ms. Fragale has a few words of wisdom for Cougars:
“Number one: don’t be lazy. Number two: if you have a question, ask your teacher,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to ask your teacher questions because what’s—not frustrating—but almost sad for teachers is when students don’t understand something. The teacher can’t read their minds.”
2014-2015 Kempner Teacher of the Year: Mrs. Sofia Taitt
By Priya Pai
Sofia Taitt is a driving force who embodies all the attributes of a Kempner resident: dedication, a will to work hard, diversity, and most of all, passion for education. That is the virtue that earned her the prestigious award of this year’s Kempner High School Teacher of the Year.
Taitt has had an extensive history with teaching, having a zeal to educate more than anything.
“I have always had a passion for education, and I love being a student,” she said. “I think that my overall goal as a teacher is to make an impact and a difference in my students.”
Taitt was born and raised in the Inland Empire, a suburb west of Los Angeles, California. She attended the University of San Diego for a Bachelors in Biology and Minors in Chemistry, Business, and Spanish.
She first started teaching in Southern California in 2001, where after five years, she moved to Richmond, TX and started teaching here at Kempner for the past thirteen years. Even after her extensive teaching experience, she is still deeply passionate about her job.
“The most rewarding aspect of my job is getting to see students grow personally and professionally,” she said. “It is very satisfying when a former student visits me or I run into them somewhere, and they share how much they enjoyed being a student in my classroom.”
Taitt appreciates the diversity of Kempner, that aspect being her favorite part of her students. She feels that teaching is a reciprocal process: they teach her just as much as she teaches them.
Like any teacher, she does find challenges in her job.
“The biggest challenge of being a teacher to me is meeting the diverse needs of every student in the ever changing world of education,” Taitt said. “It is becoming increasingly difficult for teachers to establish strong and valuable relationships with students as they deal with the added pressures on the profession which include larger class sizes, the availability and integration of technology, and testing.”
Despite these challenges, Mrs. Taitt still succeeds in impacting her students’ lives.
“Mrs. Taitt’s bouncy hair matches her fun personality,” senior Anupriya Gupta said. “At the same time, I know the study habits we form in her class will help us in our future endeavors in college.”
Taitt offers some words of advice to high school students.
“High school is such as short time in your life, so be open to all that your high school has to offer,” she said. “Get involved, don’t be afraid to ask questions and challenge yourself.”
Mrs. Taitt illuminates Kempner with her bright personality, compassion for students, and passion for education.
"Ms. Taitt's enthusiasm for teaching makes it a joy to be in her class," senior Brandon Nguyen said.
She therefore has rightly earned the title of teacher of the year, and it is certain that she will continue to be an essential part to Kempner, no matter what.
“Life will always throw curveballs at you,” she said to students. “Pick yourself up and try again as many times as it takes.”
