Wilmot’s Jenkins willing to tackle challenges

Recent graduate The Report’s Outstanding Senior

By Jason Arndt
Editor

Annually, the Report issues an award for Outstanding Senior at Wilmot Union High School, which submitted nominations for review by staff.

Upon reviewing nominations of four recent graduates of the school, awarding the Outstanding Senior was not easy, and took additional insight and feedback from a copy editor, and editors from East Troy and Elkhorn.

Rachel Jenkins
(Courtesy of Nick Parisi)

While each of the nominees brought remarkable strengths in the classroom, community and in
athletic competitions, the 2018 Outstanding Senior for Wilmot was Rachel Jenkins.

Jenkins, the 2018 Salutatorian, is the daughter of Scott and Rhonda Jenkins and attended Riverview School before she started her academic career at Wilmot.

According to Jenkins, she never envisioned herself as an Outstanding Senior.

“It feels unreal, because I never pictured myself as receiving an award like this,” she said. “I was actually shocked that I was nominated.”

At Wilmot, Jenkins earned induction into National Honors Society at the end of her
sophomore year, was a member of Link Crew as a junior, and was a three-time scholar athlete.

She served as vice president for NHS.

Jenkins, who has passion for medical science, sought a challenge her junior year when she
enrolled in an Introduction to Engineering Design course.

Eric Morrow, the instructor of the class, became one of the most influential teachers she had during her tenure at the school.

“It was for intro to engineering and design,” she said. “I wanted to see if I liked the engineering field.”

“He was always open and helpful for us,” Jenkins added.

Jenkins, according to Morrow, remained upbeat in spite of a new challenge.

“She had never taken any classes in the engineering department, but decided to try it out,” he said. “At first, I don’t think she was quite sure what she had gotten herself into, but quickly adapted.”

“She met every challenge with a positive, no quit attitude. If she struggled with a new concept, she would come in for additional instruction and it was clear she truly wanted to learn.”

Outside the classroom, Jenkins was involved in the basketball and volleyball programs all four years, and played soccer her first two years.

In the community, with encouragement from her mother, Jenkins gave back to Riverview School through service projects.

While she volunteered as volleyball coach, Jenkins also pitched in during Riverview’s
Comet Classic and Battle of the Books.

“I went to Riverview, so I am familiar with the Comet Classic and I used to play in it,” she said. “My mom used to coach there so I come and help her out.”

Volunteering in the Comet Classic, she said, involved running the scoreboard and clock during the middle school basketball tournament.

When she wasn’t on the court, or volunteering at Riverview, Jenkins worked 10 hours a week at Wilmot Stage Stop in 2015-16. Since then, she accounted for 40 hours a week in food service at AbbVie, where her father works.

Jenkins, meanwhile, looks to attend University of Wisconsin-La Crosse where she plans to study clinical laboratory science.

“I am planning on getting a degree in that and then hopefully work at a hospital or a laboratory to help test and diagnose people,” Jenkins said.

For Morrow, he believes Jenkins can reach her goal.

“Rachel is going to do great things,” he said.

Jenkins has a younger brother Cal and older sister Abby.

For the full story, pick up the June 15 print edition of the Report.


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