Senior Ruby McDermid has committed to Purdue University and will be attending there in the fall. She was captain of the varsity girls soccer team, an officer in FCCLA, and a class officer for the class of 2024. She is a member of Heros and Kool Kids, Narrative Four, Suicide Prevention Society and American Cancer Society. She left her mark here at JFK and we wish her the best of luck for her future.
What college are you going to and what are you studying? Why did you choose to study this?
Ruby: I’m going to Purdue University to study biomedical engineering and I chose this because math is one of my favorite classes, and I love to build and create new things. I also have an interest in the medical field so I might get my pre-med credits from biomedical engineering and go to medical school.
What do you hope to accomplish after you graduate?
I hope to make a lot of new friends at school and enjoy my time there. I eventually want to get my masters and get a good job, and overall be successful.
What is your favorite memory at JFK?
My favorite memory was my senior night [soccer]. Even though I was out for the whole season [tore ACL], I was cleared and got to play one game for about 15 minutes and then my best friend who’s also on the team, sang the national anthem. It was actually so funny.
What sports did you play here at JFK?
All four years of high school I played varsity soccer and I became captain my junior and senior year. I played JV softball my freshman year because my friend asked me too. Then my sophomore year I did winter and spring track.
Soccer is your main sport at JFK. How did it feel when you tore your ACL and couldn’t play your senior year?
I was really upset, when I heard my knee snap I didn’t cry out of pain. It took a good 5 minutes for me to start crying because I started to realize that I wasn’t going to play my club season or my senior year with my sister and my best friends. Our team has been growing and getting better every single year, and we were supposed to win our GMC’s my senior year, so to not be a part of that, and to feel like I let the team down by not playing center back, hurt.
If you had to tell your freshman self something, what would it be?
I would tell my freshman self to take harder classes. I feel like taking dance two years in a row was a missed opportunity even though I loved Mrs. Perosi. I needed an art requirement so taking it once worked out. I wish I took AP Bio, especially because I’m going to need it for my major. I also wish I took some of the easier APs like APUSH because my class is competitive and taking R-track history really lowered my rank.
What was your biggest struggle in high school? Do you think it helped you for the better or worse?
My biggest struggle in high school was definitely my English classes. I simply hate writing essays, but shout out to all my English teachers because they are some of my favorites. I think it did help me for the better though because I got a three on my AP lang exam my junior year, but then my senior year I took Supa Writing and I think that prepared me to be able to write the three essays and be confident enough to get a four or a five when I retook it.
Who was your biggest support during high school, whether it be a teacher, parent or friend?
I would say my biggest support was [Dawn] Santanna, because not only was she my soccer coach, but she always looked out for me and my teammates. She was a really big support when I joined FCCLA and helped me join clubs and get community service hours. I also loved doing FCCLA with her, she was a great advisor and would always give me advice about soccer as well as advice outside of school for me and my friends. She was a good teacher to have, she was always there for me.
If you had a chance to re-do your high school experience, would you?
I wouldn’t re-do my high school experience entirely, but I would definitely change some things. My first three years of high school I wasn’t really social and didn’t get out of the house much. I had my core friends but I feel like it took me ’till my senior year to really branch out and make friends with other people. I hated coming to school up until my senior year, and was excited to go to college. Now I’m a little more upset and definitely going to miss it [high school].
