Along with coming into an already unprecedented school year, senior, Anci Dy, was also tasked with taking on an important leadership position, being president of the National Honors Society. Despite the switches between in-person and online learning, Dy worked to bring a plethora of volunteer opportunities to the club with opportunities ranging from volunteering at Safe Harbor to beach clean ups to online opportunities that could be done safely at home. 

   “Being NHS president has definitely challenged me to be more creative, to find more opportunities outside of normal community service, and to also reach out to different students who are involved in different things to make sure I provide diverse opportunities,” Dy said.

   The leadership role enabled Dy to develop stronger relationships with teachers and staff as she worked with them often to coordinate events for the student body. 

   “My favorite part was working with our committee chairs and student leaders to come up with new service ideas that branch across all areas of interest,” Dy said. “From organizing environmental cleanups, donation drives, thank you services, and working with all ages was really rewarding and helped me that we were providing enough opportunities to allow each student the chance to find some self enjoyment while still serving the community.” 

  Aimee Cole is the advisor for the NHS chapter here at school and worked with Dy this past year as they navigated the unprecedented times while still making sure the club was running smoothly. 

  “Anci truly is one of the most amazing students I have had both in the classroom and in a club.  I cannot believe the amount of positivity and energy she brings to everything she does.  She is incredibly dedicated to her classwork, any club or sport in which she is involved. Anci has single-handedly worked to get donations for senior scholarships,” Cole said. 

  Dy raised more funds than any other officer this year and created many of the COVID safe volunteer opportunities available to the NHS members this past year. 

  “Anci was responsible for many of the socially distanced opportunities available for both NHS and District Civic Participation, and while her reimagined homecoming and several other events couldn’t be realized due to COVID-19, Anci has done so much to support NHS members this year. There is no one I would rather have been leading our group through such a challenging time,” Cole said. 

   Outside of NHS, Dy was on the varsity golf team where she helped the team win their State Championship title in 2017. 

   “I really enjoyed playing with my golf team and experiencing golf on a team setting in high school. Our team was really fun to travel and compete with and the girls and I all had a great relationship with one another,” said Dy. “I loved travelling to play different courses and bring home some hardware.”

   During her time here at school, Dy made sure to find time for other activities such as senate and choir as well. 

   “Some of my fondest memories would be performing in musicals with my F Wing [music wing] family and winning the State Championship freshman year with my older sister. I also had lots of fun times in Ms. Chargo’s class junior year and plunging into ice cold water for the Polar Plunge in 2020 for the student senate,” Dy said. 

   Dy has been involved with the choir program since her freshman year and explains that it helped her to gain more confidence in herself and her abilities. 

   “Choir has given me an entirely new family that has embraced me and helped me become a more confident and stronger person. I am the Co-Chair of choir council and have had the privilege of leading our program in building that family through different events, games, virtual parties and more. I will always love starting my day off making music with my closest friends and for the amount of laughs we all manage to have even on the saddest days,” Dy said. 

   Additionally, Dy has been able to participate in the last four musicals during her time at school and enjoyed learning from Minda Nyquist. 

   “Each show has helped grow my confidence and has given me so many fun memories from the late night rehearsals to trying on some cool costumes and learning how to dance with a jump rope too,” Dy said.

   This fall, Dy will be attending the University of Indianapolis on an athletic scholarship to play golf on the university’s women’s golf team. She will be majoring in Business and plans to take part in their accelerated MBA program to earn her Master’s degree in five years. 

   “I am so excited to live more independently and experience more personal accountability in college while also meeting new people and playing golf at a higher competitive stage. I can’t wait to travel more and keep on pushing myself to continually improve all aspects of my life as well,” Dy said. 

   As her time here at school comes to an end, Dy shared advice for the underclassmen, and the class of 2022. 

   “Savor each school day, sports game, dance, and minute you get to be with your school buds and to do what makes you happy. Lead your life the way you want and choose to be part of things that bring you laughs and smiles,” Dy said.  “I would also say to set goals for yourself and make a conscious effort to continually work towards them-whether it’s an athletic, academic, or life goal,” Dy said.

   Dy shared that she feels grateful for the constant support from the staff here at school, as they have helped her achieve success in both her academics and extracurriculars. 

   “The staff at West is remarkable and the best group of people out there. Teachers are really great with recognizing the chaotic life of teenagers who may be musicians, athletes, or have a lot going on individually. I would not be where I am today without the support and assistance from so many people at West,” Dy said.