Madison Ford and Baley LaHaye will each receive two diplomas next weekend.
Saturday’s graduation will award them degrees from Allen County Community College; Sunday’s ceremonies will be as graduates from Iola High School.
The two girls are also IHS valedictorians. Neither has made anything less than an A since middle school.
They both attack life head-on, though on different paths.
LaHaye is all business. Since she was 16 she has held two jobs in addition to her academic load. Her initial goal from employment was to pay for the 2007 bright blue Mustang GT she began buying three months after she could legally drive. By August it’ll be hers free and clear. It’s only been lately that her position as a dental assistant with Dr. Sean McReynolds of Humboldt has put a career in mind.
Because of her strong science background — she recently completed chemistry I and II courses at ACCC — Dr. McReynolds took on LaHaye in March and began on-the-job training as a dental assistant. A cousin, Tara, works as a dental hygienist. The combination has lead LaHaye to declare orthodontics as a career goal.
LaHaye said her orderly nature is a natural lead-in to the study. Her room is impeccable, said Ford, a longtime friend. As for dental work, LaHaye said, “I like to see bad teeth turned into a pretty smile.”
She has been accepted into the University of Kansas where she will begin pre-dentistry classes in the fall.
LaHaye said she doesn’t picture herself returning to southeast Kansas to practice orthodontics, but doesn’t rule it out.
“I’d like to live in the city, but not too far from the country,” she said.
FORD IS ALL action. She’s been a cheerleader on both high school and community college squads. During basketball season that meant cheering four nights a week on top of 5 a.m. practices.
“It was crazy, but totally worth it,” she said.
The dual experience landed her on Pittsburg State University’s cheer squad beginning in the fall.
Ford’s tendency to lend an ear lead her to consider psychiatry as a profession.
“I’ve always liked helping people,” she said.
LaHaye backed up her friend’s choice. “I’ve always gone to Madison for advice,” she said. “She’s good at it.”
With her ACCC degree under her belt, Ford will enter PSU as a junior where she will take pre-med classes. From there she hopes to go to KU medical school and continue on a psychiatry track.
“I should be a doctor by the time I’m 24 or 25,” said the 18-year-old.
Emergency psychiatry especially appeals to Ford. Typical cases would include those who are suicidal or victims of rape, she said.
“Some see this as a depressing field, but to me, if I can help one person’s life, then that’s rewarding.”
BOTH GIRLS admit to perfectionist tendencies, an essential trait when it comes to their schedules.
Ford has lived by her calendar “to keep on top of the game,” she said.
This past semester she took five ACCC classes, all online.
“You have to be self-motivated to succeed in online classes,” she said.
Ford has had her sights on the dual graduation ever since her older sister, Taylor, fell short of the goal several years ago.
In addition to cheerleading and being a student at two campuses, Ford has served on the IHS student council. She is this year’s president and served as president of her sophomore and junior classes.
She’s also been involved for seven years with the high school’s Crime Stoppers program and been a member of the drama and forensics clubs. In forensics, she’s qualified all four years for state competitions.
She’s at home with both humorous and dramatic roles, she said.
“I love performing,” she said, whether it’s on stage or being thrown up in the air as a cheerleader. “It’s an adrenaline rush.”
Ford, the daughter of Mike and Nancy, has also sung with the band at RiverTree Church since middle school.
Both girls have been involved with Stang Stampede, the high school’s spirit squad, which has somewhat fizzled this year, the same as with the school’s Link Crew where the girls act as big sisters to underclassmen. Both programs have lost the number of sponsors needed to be effective, they said.
LAHAYE said her parents, Trish and Jon’e, encouraged her and her older brother, Grant, to make good grades by providing financial rewards.
“We got $5 for each A,” she said.
The tactic wasn’t all that successful, LaHaye said. Grant, a 2007 IHS graduate, was “more casual” in his studies, LaHaye said. Today he drives a semi-trailer hauling cattle.
After his graduation, the incentive stopped. “I didn’t need it,” LaHaye said.
Last summer she took three classes at ACCC.
All throughout high school, LaHaye also worked at Madison Avenue Steaks and Chops. Before her stint with McReynolds, she worked for Elizabeth Donnelly at The Shirt Shop for two years.
“I tried all three jobs for one week,” LaHaye said, before deciding that was a bit much.
LaHaye has also served on the Student Council at IHS this year. She serves as secretary, a role that suits her organizational abilities. She also served as secretary of her sophomore and junior classes.
Both LaHaye and Ford made the National Honor Society for the high school. LaHaye served as its representative. They also both made Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society for the community college.
LaHaye ran track her freshman year, but broke her arm her sophomore year, eliminating all sports.
When she was able to take classes at ACCC her junior year, she chose that over athletics.
Other high school activities for LaHaye included belonging to I-Club her sophomore, junior and senior years.
The girls singled out Travis Hermstein, world and American history and sociology; Marvin Smith, chemistry, and Diane Kauth, math, as exceptional teachers at Iola High.
THE TRANSITION to university life doesn’t faze either of the girls. Both say they’re ready to be one step closer to their personal goals.
