Success does not come without hard work, something that senior Emily Feenstra is well aware of. As of the end of the second trimester, Feenstra is in the number one spot for the class rankings. Feenstra is someone who has worked exceptionally hard throughout school, especially into high school, and it is clear that her hard work has been a success.

Feenstra has undertaken an incredibly heavy course load, having taken a total of 8 Advanced Placement classes, including, but not limited to, AP Environmental Science, AP Psychology, AP Calculus, AP Biology, and more. In addition to those difficult classes, Feenstra also fills much of her time with many extracurricular activities. 

She is very actively involved with the schools varsity swimming and water polo teams. She is one of the girl’s top water polo players, playing with the varsity team since she was a freshman and also being a part of the state team each year. She is also one of the top swimmers, swimming with the state teams for multiple years, and she devotes quite a bit of her time to these sports. Feenstra also created her own club, the synchronized swimming club, at the start of the current school year, gaining support from her friends and teammates. Feenstra also spends lots of time at her numerous jobs, where she is a lifeguard at Sunnybrook Country club, is a coach for HEAT (Hudsonville Eagles Aquatic Team), and is a server at the Pinnacle Center. While these activities take up a large portion of her time, she also makes time to participate in NHS, LINKS, and Young Life. 

Since Feenstra is a top water polo player, she decided to continue her water polo career playing at Gannon University in Pennsylvania. There, she hopes to study nursing and earn her nurse practitioner degree, specializing in psychiatric nursing. 

While Feenstra is currently the top ranked student in the class of 2025, which would normally be considered valedictorian, she does not have the title. The school, for unknown reasons, does not have students the title and honor of being valedictorian. “Many students have worked as hard as I have, but I do feel like it would be nice to be recognized. I don’t know the reason why we don’t have an official valedictorian, but I'm sure it would add additional pressure to students,” said Feenstra. Even though Feenstra is not officially recognized by the school as valedictorian, it is an accomplishment she said she is still proud to achieve. “This is something I would’ve never imagined being able to accomplish going into highschool. To achieve this while also playing multiple sports and having multiple jobs is something I take great pride in,” said Feenstra.