School is not just a place to learn. It is also a place to work with others. Senior Alyssa Kondo has used her experience at McKinley High School to grow her personality.

“I would not have replaced it with anything else because it taught me more about others and myself, and what I want to do for the future,” Kondo said.

One area where Kondo has been a leader is band. Kondo has been playing in a band since middle school with seven years of clarinet playing.

Senior Alexandria Buchanan was in band with Kondo during middle school and her freshman year at high school.

“She constantly thinks about others and is one of the most responsible and determined people I know,” Buchanan said.

Buchanan said she’s proud that Kondo has always been by her side.

“I can always go to her when I need someone and she can always come to me,” Buchanan said. “She makes me want to do better in the future because I know she’s going to do some amazing things.”

Ignition is another way Kondo has been a leader. She became a mentor in her junior year because she looked up to her mentor, Savanna Charles.

“I enjoy working with other students and large groups, as well as helping people when in need,” she said. “I wanted to help freshmen with their transition into high school and I thought this was a great opportunity to not only get them a mentor for this transition but also a friend they could rely on.”

Although the word accomplishment comes with the connotation that it was a chore to complete, some of Kondo’s biggest accomplishments were not chores, but things that she values and is very proud of. She said she is proud to say that she has made connections with people she can call friends.

“In a matter of a few years, I stabilized relationships with mutual care, understanding, and support that I can take with me past high school,” she said. “I hope to help more people in the future, whether physically or emotionally.”

School closures after spring break due to the risks of the coronavirus pandemic shortened Kondo’s high school career.

“My high school ended abruptly and I was not able to experience all the traditional fourth quarter events,” she said. “Through all the years of schooling, they were building up to this moment that we can’t have anymore.”

Kondo said the most difficult part of the crisis is coping with all the events that got canceled and being stripped of the time she had left with her school.

“Although it was expected, a benefit that came out of this is being able to spend more time with family, and getting more sleep and exercise,” she said.

Changes in structure and information were made on 5/18/2020.