HomeProfiles of Students, Staff, TeachersMeet the Future

Meet the Future

Creative, innovative, imaginative … Many of today’s students are all that and more in a vast variety of interest areas. Meet the Future features students with exceptional and unusual gifts.

A passion & a career could come into alignment

Kelloggsville Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

Kelloggsville High senior Yar Deng has used her passion for multimedia design to connect with her school and peers. Next stop: college and the dentist’s chair.

His secret to music success? ‘Don’t let perfect get in the way of better’

Cedar Springs Riley Kelley

This Cedar Springs eighth-grader is a nine-instrument musical marvel.

Nashville is next for high school pedal steel prodigy

Cedar Springs Riley Kelley

This Cedar Springs High School senior plans to move to Nashville to pursue a career in country music.

Young music pro on track to bring the beats

Northview Beth Heinen Bell

This middle-school DJ has been making a name for himself in Grand Rapids since he was 6 years old.

Gymnast vaults his way to bronze, eyes even more metal

Lowell Erin Albanese

Lowell High School sophomore Tate Outman has competed five times at the national level, and hopes to compete in the Olympics.

Tech Center student’s trajectory: sparks and arcs

Kent ISD Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

Welding has become more than just a hobby for this senior.

Shop class, summer jobs pave the way for construction career

Cedar Springs Riley Kelley

Construction management is this Cedar Springs senior’s passion.

‘Books make me so happy’

Lowell Erin Albanese

Fifth-grader Adia Wideman is working on seven books, as she hones her craft toward becoming a published author. And perhaps a horse-riding instructor.

Apple farming the core passion of this high-school senior

Kenowa Hills Alexis Stark

Senior Claire Rasch loves eating apples and is learning how to better grow and produce them, thanks to her family’s fruit farming business.

Miss Basketball award-winner on how the sport shaped her life

Rockford Riley Kelley

Rockford senior Anna Wypych was recently named Miss Basketball 2025 by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan.

For real, she dances a fine reel

Comstock Park Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

This second-grader gets a kick out of Irish step dance.

Dedication & drive, in the dojo and beyond

Northview Beth Heinen Bell

This seventh-grader is working toward her black belt in karate, an accomplishment that signifies an elite level of proficiency and mastery.

He forecasts snow days with increasing accuracy

Kent City Beth Heinen Bell

Aspiring meteorologist Fernando Diaz-Guzman cares about keeping people safe and sees accurate weather forecasting as a way to do so.

Someday, he could be on your election ballot

Forest Hills Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

At 16, Kasen Wooters is already a seasoned pro when it comes to campaigning.

‘It feels magical’: Student talks passion for film

Cedar Springs Riley Kelley

This Cedar Springs senior has set his sights on a career in filmmaking.

This graduate found her passion in the arena with horses

Kenowa Hills Alexis Stark

Recent Kenowa Hills High School graduate Alyxzin Taylor’s passion is spending time riding, showing and loving her two pet horses.

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School News Network reports on the 20 public school districts in Kent ISD, which enroll more than 102,000 students. Founded in 2013 as an initiative of Kent ISD, we are supported by local districts and community sponsors, and powered by an experienced team of reporters, editors and multimedia journalists. We specialize in covering classroom teaching and learning, analyzing the many issues facing students and highlighting the education magic that happens each day in our public schools.

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