Class of 2009

William Alstrom
Parents: Clyde and Rose Alstrom
High school: Manatee High School and Manatee Technical Institute Fire Academy
Higher education: Alstrom will graduate from the fire academy in June. In August, he will begin emergency medical-technician training, most likely at Manatee Technical Institute.
Summer plans: In June, he plans to go to Kansas City, Mo., for the SkillsUSA Championship, a showcase for top career and technical students.
Favorite high school moment: Graduating
Favorite high school class: English
Hobbies: Hunting and fishing. Alstrom participates in competitive-fishing tournaments.
Community service/extracurricular activities: Alstrom won the gold medal in the “job interview” category for the SkillsUSA regional competition and a silver medal in the same category at the SkillsUSA state competition. He is a member of the National Technical Honor Society.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? “I see myself being a firefighter and a fishing guy,” Alstrom said. He would like to host his own TV fishing program.
What can’t you live without? Fishing

Audrey Avila
Parents: Dr. Albert and Heather Avila
High school: St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
Higher education: Georgetown University, where Avila will major in international health and take pre-med classes.
Summer plans: Travel to Myanmar and Cambodia with Rustic Pathways, an international community-service program.
Favorite high school moment: Senior-year homecoming week. Avila helped to choreograph a performance for a school-wide competition for which the entire senior class participated. The class won for the first time.
Hobbies: Dance, photography, boating and spending time with her four dogs
Community service/extracurricular activities: Student council vice president, Mu Alpha Theta, Spanish Club, Honor Council and volunteered for Operation Blessing in Southeast Asia and India
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? “Doing my residency and also working abroad, helping to set up health-care systems in Third World countries.”
What can’t you live without? Nutella.

Ryan Burke
Parents: Larry and Cheryl Burke  
High School: Booker High School
Summer plans: Working and practicing for baseball and cross-country to be prepared for college. 
Higher education plans: Florida Gulf Coast University, majoring in sports management and marketing.  
Favorite high school moment: “When I kicked the game-winning field goal against Sarasota High School.”
Favorite high school class: Spanish or P.E.  
Hobbies: “Playing pretty much every sport that I can get my hands on” and long-distance running
Community service/extracurricular activities: Volunteer assistant counselor at Bayfront Park Recreation Center summer camp
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? “Either managing a sports team or in the production of STOMP.”  
What can’t you live without? “My cell phone — I start to panic when I cannot find it.”

Alexander Freeland
Parents: Penny and John Freeland
High school: St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
Higher education: Freeland plans to attend Fordham University, in New York City, where he will major in business and/or communications.
Summer plans: Intern at Information Resources Inc., in Chicago.
Favorite high school moment: Going to Columbia University Model United Nations
Favorite high school class: Weightlifting
Hobbies: Spending time with friends
Community service/extracurricular activities: Football and baseball teams, student council representative, captain of Model United Nations and volunteer for Habitat for Humanity
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? “Hopefully, I see myself working in business.”
What can’t you live without? His grandmother, “Bubbie,” aka Edith Wolf.

Julie Johnes
Parents: Jules and Shelia Rose 
High School: Sarasota Military Academy
Summer plans: Going on a three-week tour of Germany and Austria with American Music Abroad to play the flute.
Higher education plans: University of South Florida, in Tampa, majoring in music performance. 
Favorite high school moment: “My spring concert during my freshman year. My best friend and I did a duet — she on piano, and I was on flute. It was the first solo thing I’d ever done, and it was when people realized I could play.” 
Favorite high school class: Freshman English
Hobbies: Flute and turtles 
Community service/extracurricular activities: Marching band (at another school) and band fundraisers
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? “I would love to be in Seattle, but will probably be in Florida because I like the weather. I would love to be in an orchestra that makes music for movies.”
What can’t you live without? “Friends, family and music.”

Katherine Kennedy
Parents: Sam and Cindy Kennedy
High school: St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
Higher education: University of Miami, where Kennedy plans to major in business. She also hopes to attend law school.
Summer plans: A three-week trip to China and working at a McDonald’s, in Bradenton, which her parents own.
Favorite high school moment: “Winning districts last year for soccer,” Kennedy said. “It was the culmination of all of our hard work.”
Favorite high school class: AP Calculus
Hobbies: Sports, traveling and reading
Community service/extracurricular activities: Soccer and tennis teams, volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, Manatee County Teen Court, camp counselor at Bayfront Park Recreation Center and Spanish Conferencia
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? “Living in a big metropolitan city, and I really want to do volunteer work abroad in the summers.”
What can’t you live without? Friends and family

Annelie Niebuhr
Parents: Bengt Niebuhr and Anna Nekoranec
High school: Pine View School
Summer plans: Taking a cruise to the Bahamas with her mom, who’s coming to the United States for graduation, and traveling to China for four weeks, with Carnegie Mellon’s summer program, to learn Chinese.
Higher education plans: Heading to Carnegie Mellon in August. She plans to major in chemical engineering.
Favorite high school moment: Being goofy, laughing and having fun with friends.
Favorite high school class: Calculus BC or AP Chemistry
Hobbies: Soccer, tennis, photography, family activities, swimming and the beach
Community service/extracurricular activities: Mote Marine Laboratory intern, Sarasota Film Festival volunteer, Sarasota United Soccer League and teaching German once a week at Discovery Days pre-school.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? “Owning a business or inventing something to help make daily life better.”
What can’t you live without? “Advice — advice in general about what I do or should do with regards to the choices I make, because that really shapes who I am.”

Sarah Platt
Parents: Michael and Susan Platt
High school: Southeast High School International Baccalaureate
Higher education: University of Florida, where Platt will major in anthropology or journalism
Summer plans: Travel to England and Ireland
Favorite high school moment: Being with friends and taking classes that she enjoyed.
Favorite high school class: Biology and psychology
Hobbies: Going to the beach, spending time with friends, travel and boating
Community service/extracurricular activities: Horseback riding, volunteering at the Manatee County Public Library and Manatee County Teen Court, Key Club and National Honor Society
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? “My dream job is to work for National Geographic. I’d like to do a lot of travel and write a lot about my experiences.”
What can’t you live without? “Living in sunshine.”

Zachary Sobel
Parents: Ed and Donna Sobel
High school: St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
Higher education: Princeton University, where Sobel will most likely major in history or political science and participate in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program
Favorite high school moment: Getting a call from his father saying that St. Stephen’s would have a football team. Sobel was part of a group that petitioned the school to start a team.
Favorite high school class: AP World History
Hobbies: Hanging out with friends, going to the beach and surfing
Community service/extracurricular activities: Mock trial, football, Harvard Model Congress, Junior Statesmen of America, St. Stephen’s Speaker Selection Committee, volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and Manatee County Teen Court
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? “Probably still fulfilling my ROTC requirements,” Sobel said. He will serve for four years of active military duty, followed by four years of reserve duty.

Pascal Wagner
Parents: R.J. and Gabriela Wagner
High school: Southeast High School International Baccalaureate
Summer plans: To spend three weeks in Germany, and, then, travel to Denver for the National Technology Students Association conference.
Higher education: Wagner plans to pursue a double major in management information systems and information technology at Florida State University, in Tallahassee.
Favorite high school moment: Participating for four years in the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program
Favorite high school class: Theory of knowledge
Hobbies: Kite boarding, biking, running marathons and volunteering
Community service/extracurricular activities: Battalion commander in the JROTC program, Hospice volunteer, Key Club and swim, soccer and tennis teams
What can’t you live without? “My Apple laptop. It keeps me organized.”