Q. Please provide the first names of your family members: parents, siblings and pets.

A. My parents, Beth Murphy and Myatt Murphy, my brother, Brandon and my cats Scooter and Asia.

Q. As a senior, do you have any specific goals you will pursue this academic year?

A. This year, I want to find a balance between continuing to maintain my grades, making the most out of my senior year and taking as many opportunities as possible to spend time with my friends.

Q. What is your favorite class at Emmaus High School? Why?

A. My favorite class at Emmaus High School was AP World History. The entire class was such a blast, the material we covered was engaging and interesting and the teacher, Mrs. Montero, did an amazing job not only teaching but thoroughly preparing us for the AP exam. I made so many memories in that class, so it’s definitely my favorite.

Q. Have you received any special awards or recognition?

A. I received a National American Visions Medal and a National Gold Medal in The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards in 2024 for an animated film I created. Last year, I also received a Regional Gold Key in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for a different animated film, as well as four Regional Silver Keys. In addition, I’ve also received awards including the AP Scholar with Distinction Award, Excellence in Pre-Calculus, Excellence in Drawing and Painting II, Excellence in AP Art, the Service Above Self Award and have been on the honor roll throughout all four years of high school.

Q. Are you involved in any extracurricular activities? How has being involved in these organizations impacted your high school experience?

A. I have been involved in the marching band since my freshman year, which forced me to break out of my shell in a way and introduced me to a lot of incredible people. I’m also involved in the Hydroponics Club. At first, I had no idea what hydroponics was and only joined because my friends were in it. However, I discovered a love for plants through this club, an interest I never would’ve had without it. I’ve also been involved in three honors societies: National Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society and National Art Honor Society. Being involved in these helped me get more involved in my community. Lastly, I’ve been in Girl Scouts for nine years, and through this organization, I’ve developed an appreciation for community service, met lifelong friends and made too many memories to count.

Q. What do you consider your biggest challenge to date?

A. My biggest challenge is maintaining motivation. I find I get the most inspiration and motivation for creative projects when I have the right balance of both free time and work that’s creativity unrelated (such as schoolwork or extracurricular activities). If I have too much free time, I find it harder to get inspired. If I have no free time at all, I can’t act on anything that inspires me at that moment. Balancing my schoolwork with my creative projects can sometimes be a struggle because of this, so I try to keep the scales as even as possible.

Q. At this time, what are your plans for the future beyond high school? A. I want to study animation in college, break into either the film or game industry and begin collaborating with others to create some really cool stuff!

Q. If you could spend an evening conversing with a historically significant person, whom would you choose? Why?

A. I would choose to have a conversation with Tim Gunn. He was a mentor on the show Project Runway, and is known for his genuine kindness and humility, despite being a major figure in the fashion world. While he might not be the most historically relevant person, it is so rare to see a person who has worked with celebrities and been on various reality television shows retain authentic thoughtfulness and sincere compassion for other people.

Q. For what would you like to be remembered?

A. I’d like to be remembered as being resilient, reliable and most importantly, kind. Someone who never let the world tear her aspirations down, someone who worked hard to bring her dreams to life and someone who, above everything, valued empathy and did her best to inspire kindness in others.

Q. Do you have any advice for your peers?

A. Focus on the future, but don’t get caught up in the details. If you think you have your whole future planned out, don’t count on it unfolding exactly the way you picture it. Things don’t always work out the way we want them to, but that’s sort of the beauty of living. Life without surprises would be pretty boring, so embrace obstacles and setbacks, appreciate all the twists and turns, and just try to make the best of every single one.