McFadden selected as CHS Student of the Month
STUDENT OF THE MONTH
The Concordia High School (CHS) Student of the Month for September is Jenna McFadden, and she'll let you know right off the bat that she's a KU fan. “I always have been. My grandpa was a KU fan so I grew up watching KU basketball with him.”
The daughter of Chris and Lisa McFadden, Jenna is active in school, participating in chamber choir, Panther 2 Panther Tutoring, Friends of Rachel, student council, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and National Honor Society. In her spare time she enjoys reading, watching KU sports, gardening, going on walks with her dog, spending time with friends and family, and shopping.
Let's start with the National Honor Society. “I've got a 4.0 GPA,” McFadden said. “I have to work hard for my grades, but I hold myself to a high standard.”
In what field of education will she put all that brain power to work at KU? “Well,” she said with a smile, “for a long time I wanted to get into the medical field, and that's probably what I'll end up doing. But a part of me wants to go into some form of journalism. I would really like to do broadcast sports.”
Most journalists and writers were avid readers from an early age. McFadden is one of those people. “Oh, yes, I love to read! I'll read anything, as long as the story keeps me interested. Right now I like a lot of young adult and mysteries.”
One of McFadden's favorite things to do is shop and – you guessed it – she spends most of her money on books. “I do shop for clothes and shoes, but most of my purchases are books. I love to go to bookstores like Barnes & Nobles.”
Gardening is also a favored pastime, which she picked up from her grandmother. “It really started with her. When I was a kid I would always help my grandma in her garden. I'm so busy now I don't really get to work in a garden, but every spring I go shopping for flowers with my grandma and then we plant them. It's a lot of fun.”
McFadden has participated in choir since the seventh rade, but she shyly demurs when asked how good of a singer she is. “I don't know. I'm okay, I guess. I just really like getting to meet new creative people. And I really like doing our pop concerts at the end of the year. We get to do trendy songs and that's always fun.”
McFadden was also just notified that she is one of this year's Homecoming queen candidates. “Oh yes, that's really an honor. I'm excited.”
When McFadden looks into the future she still sees some uncertainty. “I'm not sure what I'll be doing. Hopefully I'll have a stable job, probably as a physicians assistant, or something like that. I definitely want to be living close to my family.”
McFadden wanted to thank everyone who has been so supportive of her. “I really want to thank my family, and my grandparents, and all my teachers for all the support they've given me over the years. My friends and co-workers, too. Thank you all for your encouragement and belief.”