Interview with Molly Koteskey, junior at Norwell High School.
How old are you?
I am 16.
What is the funniest thing that happened to you recently?
I went ice skating with some of my friends, and we were the only ones left in the rink. We all kept falling down and pushing each other down. It was really funny.
That sounds like a blast. Where did you guys go?
Headwaters.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you choose to go?
I’ve always been interested in the African jungles. It just seems pretty. It would probably be scary.
Are there certain animals you want to see when you go?
I prefer not to see an animal because I would get freaked out and get paranoid of what other animals could be around.
So you want to do the safari trip just to look at the beautiful scenery. You really don’t want to see any animals.
Yes, pretty much.
I completely get it.
You have found a suitcase containing $1 million. The authorities say it’s yours to keep. What do you do with it?
I’d probably just put it into savings. College.
Wouldn’t buy a new car?
I mean, I’d consider it, but first college savings and see what else I’d have.
Good for you!
Tell me something about a parent or relative that you find awesome and you hope to accomplish someday?
My older sister, Katie. She is always like getting her friends gifts to show them how much she cares about them. She is constantly worrying about other people. I want to have that compassion to where I see something and I think, “They would like that,” instead of thinking I would like it.
That’s great! How old is Katie?
She is 18.
What are you proudest of?
I’m in show choir. This is my sixth year, and I am now head dance captain. Two of my best friends are kind of co-captains with me.
Awesome. That is something to be proud of! Do you have a favorite song that you’ve performed to?
Last year one of my favorite songs we did was “Vogue.” We had these red fans that we flapped open. It was really cool. The whole aura of it was just neat.
What do you wish that you knew how to do that you can’t right now?
I wish I could do calligraphy. I can write my name nicely.
So you’d like to be able to write a whole page of it or something?
Yes.
That would be neat.
Do you own a pet?
Yes. It’s a dog. It’s like a Schnauzer Poodle mix. We got her from the shelter. Her name is Maggie.
Awe! Is she a little dog?
She is more medium sized. If she was standing next to me she’d be like up to my knee.
How did Maggie get her name?
We just thought it was nice.
Can you tell me a joke?
What did the baby parabola drink?
The what?
It’s a graph. It’s a nerd joke. My math teacher told it to me.
[Laughing] OK, so what did the baby parabola drink?
A quadratic formula.
That’s cute! Definitely not one I have heard yet. Ha ha.
What is your favorite class in school and why?
I’m taking an AP Chemistry class. I like the teacher. I have it with all my friends. Everybody basically works together to understand it. We all want to be there so we all work hard together.
Are you involved in sports, music or other activities?
Show Choir. That’s it. It just takes up so much time I don’t know how I’d get involved with anything else.
Anything outside of school?
I’m in youth group at Hope Missionary Church. I work at River Terrace. That’s about all that occupies my time.
It’s amazing you have time for all of that.
Do you think it’s important to speak and understand other languages?
Yes, definitely. I’m not going into nursing, but that’s just what my head first goes to. In nursing, there are a lot of patients that speak different languages. I’ve done a few mission trips and sometimes it’s just nice to know even a few words. I’m not very good at learning languages. I’m in Spanish 3 right now, and I don’t even know how I got there.
Too funny. That’s great!
Where did you go on your mission trips?
I’ve been to Guatemala twice with my family, and I went to Honduras this past summer with my youth group.
Good for you!
What is your favorite game to play and why?
I’m not very good at sports so I don’t really like to play them. I always go towards hide and seek. It’s just fun.
Who is one of your friends that make you laugh all the time?
Emily. She is in eighth-grade at Norwell, but she is just so funny. She will just make a joke out of everything and make a fool of herself.
That’s great!
Who is your most academically-inclined friend?
Emily’s older sister, Shawna. She helps me with Spanish because I don’t know how to do it. She is part of the FFA because she is taking this animal science program and she is doing really well at it. She works so hard on it.
Cool. Very good.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years and how will you get there?
I hope that I’d be in a research lab because I’m interested in science. Either working towards helping people, or I could start out working for companies, like cosmetics and hand soaps and stuff like that, but reality wise I would really like to reach the level where I could start making new things and innovating. Hopefully, I’d have a family started. That would be nice.
Great! Do you know where you want to go to college?
I’ve been looking, but I haven’t really found one that feels like me. I’ve only been to one college visit. It was really nice. It was to Cedarville, which is where my brother and my sister go. I’m still unsure, but more of like a private Christian college.
Sounds like you have a great plan. Heading off to college to be a scientist. You have a good future ahead of you!
Teen Talk is a service supported by Southern Wells Schools, Northern Wells Schools, and Bluffton Harrison Schools, …. to promote dialogue and community among area high school students.
Interviewer: Amy Serafini News-Banner, Bluffton, Indiana
