Q: Name?
A: Addyson Zawilski.
Q: Class Rank?
A: 4th.
Q: Parents’ Names?
A: Maria Zawilski and Timothy Zawilski.
Q: Future Plans?
A: Attend East Tennessee State University for biomedical sciences to later become an anesthesiologist.
Q: Activities and Sports?
A: Soccer, track, National Honor Society and STEAM club.
Q: What is your proudest achievement?
A: Getting into all of the colleges I applied to.
Q: What will you miss most about school?
A: I will miss the stability it brought me. I went to the same place with the same people every day for 13 years and now I won’t have that.
Q: What’s the most important lesson you learned in high school?
A: Nothing is really as hard as I thought or made it out to be.
Q: What do you hope your life looks like in 10 years?
A: I hope that I am married and getting ready to start a family. I also hope that I am coming close to graduating and starting my dream job.
Q: Who inspires you to do your best?
A: My mom inspires me to do my best because even though she had a rough childhood she always worked as hard as she could so she would have the life she has now.
Q: What’s your favorite place in Attica?
A: My favorite place in Attica is the elementary school. This school holds so many memories that I will hold onto for the rest of my life. I made so many friendships and life was simple and fun when I was in elementary school.
Q: What’s your go-to Yummies order?
A: Any of their Dole whips.
Q: If you could tell your eighth grade self one thing, what would it be?
A: Don’t worry about who or what is in your life right now, it will all work out in the end.
Q: What do you want people to know about what it’s like to be you, to be your age, at this moment in time?
A: Being 18 in my opinion is a little weird. It’s awesome in the fact that I’m an adult and will be moving into my adult life but it’s weird because now I have to think about more than just school and the outfit I’m wearing in the morning.
Q: What would the title of your autobiography be?
A: “A Journey of Resilience, Kindness, and Uncharted Paths.”
Q: Who would play you in a movie about your life?
A: I think the character Joy from the movie “Inside Out” because she’s positive and tries her hardest to do what's right but also has a little bit of stress while doing it.
Q: What’s your most-listened to song?
A: “Good Days” by SZA. I really like the beat of the music because it is very calming. Also the song itself carries a good message.
Q: What scares you about the future?
A: My biggest concern about the future is the debt I’m going to be in from school.
Q: What gives you hope about the future?
A: I take great pride in the work I do and I never give up no matter what life throws at me.
Q: Tell me about a time when you were stronger than you thought you could be.
A: I had to get hip surgery when I was in 8th grade and it was one of the most challenging things I experienced. As an athlete it was very hard to have to sit out and recover for six months but I worked towards my future everyday and did what I needed to do and it has significantly improved my life.
Q: Tell me about a time when you took a risk and it paid off.
A: In my junior year of high school I took chemistry through GCC instead of taking it with my school. It was a five-week course which meant I was doing 40 weeks of curriculum in five weeks. It was challenging and I spent at least seven hours a day on it but I ended the class with an A and I was able to be accepted into Health Careers Academy because of it.
Q: What trend or fad did you participate in that you will definitely regret in the future (or actively regret right now)?
A: I did not have TikTok or Instagram for the longest time so I never really got into the fads or anything of that sort.
Q: If you had to cook a meal to impress someone, what would you make?
A: I would make blackened chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy.
Q: If you could choose a superpower, what would it be?
A: I would choose teleportation because I would be able to go places and get things done so much more efficiently.
Q: Imagine it’s 2048 and you have teenage kids of your own. What advice would you give your 40(ish)-year-old self about being a good parent?
A: I would tell myself to not let my children have a phone until it is necessary and to also limit the apps they are allowed to have until they become an appropriate age to handle them. My childhood was phoneless and I am forever grateful for that.