Sitting in the darkened Keating Theatre on the first day of her freshman year, surrounded by more than 450 of her new classmates, Maggie Loida, junior, was determined to throw herself into her new school and make the most of a new and frightening experience.
“I wanted to be the girl that everyone knew,” Loida said.
To her, this meant getting involved and branching out from St. Peter in Kirkwood, the small, Catholic grade school she was so used to. Now, as a class officer, track runner and varsity pommie, Loida has found her niche. However, discovering her place at KHS was not always easy.
After a close friendship fell apart the summer before her sophomore year, Loida realized that she needed to stop and evaluate the personal boundaries and values, particularly trust, that must be developed in high school. By encouraging her to form new close friendships, the experience strengthened her independence.
“Right then is kind of when I found my own voice. I’m proud that I feel like I’ve kept my ability to see right from wrong and chosen my friends accordingly,” Loida said. “Right now I’m just really happy and confident, and it feels good.”
