Abby Karas is a dynamic individual with a range of interests, from the thrill of snowboarding to the serene allure of beach life. She finds joy in playing spikeball, indulging in retail therapy and spending quality time with friends. As an ardent F1 enthusiast and soccer fan, she embraces both the excitement of racing and the camaraderie of sports. Described by her friends as an “overachiever”, Abby’s ideal day unfolds under the summer sun, beginning with a sunrise and a beach outing with friends, followed by a day filled with beach activities, shopping and ending in a sushi dinner.
Sports
Abby is a versatile athlete, leading as the captain of the soccer team. She shares the school record for the most career assists with Katelyn Figuredo. While Abby doesn’t envision pursuing soccer in college, she contemplates the possibility of joining club soccer or a similar endeavor but is also “ready to hang up the cleats.” A standout member of the Woodbridge hockey team, Abby navigated being the sole female player with ease.
“I’ve played hockey for a lot of my life, so even growing up, I was the only girl in all guys’ teams,” Karas states.
Despite the transition to high school hockey, her familiarity with many teammates eased the adjustment.
“It wasn’t that big of a change because I experienced it so much before…and a lot of the guys on the team I have played with before,” Abby explained. “This made the experience a lot easier because if I was just going in and didn’t know everybody, which definitely could have been the case, because it was all three schools, it would have been a lot harder.”
Regarding her preference between soccer and hockey, Abby prefers soccer.
“Soccer for sure,” Karas states. “I ended up quitting hockey my senior year. [During] junior and senior year I was doing broadcasting for Woodbridge TV, so I did a lot of the hockey games.”
When reflecting on her sporting journey, Abby emphasized the importance of having a team. She highlighted the camaraderie among her club teammates, enhancing not only game experiences, but also practices and bonding outside of soccer.
Advice
Abby juggles multiple responsibilities, and she does so with the help of her our organized character.
“It’s more just been making sure I have my priorities straight and I’ve been really trying to organize everything with a calendar,” Abby explains.
Abby encourages the underclassmen and future freshmen to get involved at JFKMHS.
“Go to the sports game, go to the play, go to all these events because high school goes by so quickly,” Abby states. “Also, care about your GPA. People always say that freshman grades matter and they really do matter. That’s going to affect your GPA up until senior year. GPA is the big thing colleges are looking for.”
Homecoming Queen
Abby was hesitant to run for Homecoming Queen because her best friend was also a candidate, but Abby’s perspective shifted when she heard her name among the top 10 nominees.
“It’s my senior year and I will never be able to do anything like this again,” Abby realized.
When she advanced to the top five, Abby recalls how hectic things felt.
“I remember I rushed from my soccer game, me and Kris [Kristinka Kuzar] both did,” she explained. “I got home, I didn’t even shower, I felt so gross. I got there and I remember on the field that towards the end, mine and Kris’ names were the only ones left. Kris was my best friend and of course, the final two is me and my little best friend.”
Despite the competition, Abby’s bond with Kris remained steadfast, with Abby embracing her victory by first hugging Kris.
“We were so happy for each other at the moment, even beforehand we were like whatever happens there is no hard feeling, I am happy for you and you are happy for me,” Abby expressed. “I was so happy we made it there together.”
Reflecting on the qualities of a Homecoming Queen, Abby believes it is important for a Homecoming Queen to be, “ambitious in like well rounded all most, because if you are well rounded, most of the time you are ambitious and trying to achieve all you can…Also just being a good student and a good person all around is important.”
Future Plans
Abby has set her sights on the University of Tennessee,
“The only reason I applied to [Univsersity of Tenessee] was because I was a huge Morgan Wallen fan and I love country music, and he had a bunch of songs about Tennessee and the University of Tennessee because that is where he is from,” Abby disclosed. “Then I ended up getting in and getting a scholarship and they had my major, which is business analytics…then I visited Tennessee and I fell in love with the city of Knoxville and even just the people, they were so happy…We drove in at night and the whole city was lit up and I knew this is where I wanted to be for the next four years of my life.”
Abby’s interest in buisness is because of conversations that she had with her dad.
“Honestly, it’s because my dad was like, ‘Abby, there is this really big need for business analytics,'” Abby explained. “It’s such a growing occupation because we have so much data now and no one knows what to do with it, so now they are using all that information to put it into something useful. I like math so much, better than English.”
To affirm her decision, Abby took an accounting class which further solidified her choice. From a young age, Abby harbored dreams of entrepreneurship, aspiring to be a “boss lady,” a vision The Torch supports wholeheartedly.
