Neosho Junior Riley Kemna

Honored with Academic Achievement Award By Don Lowe

Neosho High School junior Riley Kemna understands the importance of a good education and striving to do as well as possible in advance of pursuing her studies collegiately, while figuring out what career path she’d like to take.

Kemna was recently honored with a Rural and Small Town Recognition Program Award, and she shared, “I received it because of high achievement on my PSAT and AP (Advanced Placement) tests last year. “It was awarded in early September. I’m not exactly sure of the qualifications, but there were 62,000 students in the nation to receive awards for this or being part of a minority group.” As for Kemna’s hard work that helped her achieve this impressive honor, she said, “Knowing it was for high achievement on my PSAT and AP was very rewarding because it recognized the effort I put into each of my AP classes to prepare for the test, as well as my preparation for the PSAT. “As an example, one of my AP classes was AP U.S. Government and Politics. Knowing the exam was approaching at the end of the year (as a sophomore), I watched review videos on the College Board website and made flashcards for things like the founding documents. These study strategies helped a lot when taking my exam.” As far as the value of doing well in school, Kemna said, “There are a wide range of reasons. Beyond graduating, doing well overall is important because it prepares you for your next step in life. “No matter what you do after high school, having a good foundation is beneficial. “For college, you will be more prepared, helping you to earn a degree, get into a good career path and have a profession that makes you happy. For life, you will know about the world around you which, in my opinion, allows you to enjoy things more.” Of course, continuing onward collegiately isn’t for every high school graduate. Nonetheless, Kemna said during high school “there are classes and skills learned that can apply to paths other than college. Aside from this, there are also good character traits, such as respect or responsibility, that are learned when you constantly put in your best effort. A strong work ethic can also go a long way.” Regardless of how other students approach their high school studies, Kemna said, “To me, it feels rewarding to do well in school because I recognize the implications it has in my future. “While I might not always be eager to finish an essay or do math homework, I motivate myself with my long-term goals and how doing these little things will help to get me there.” Kemna might not know for certain where she’s headed after graduating with the Neosho class of 2023-24, it seems likely she’ll be bound for a higher education learning institution and ready to keep soaking up more and more knowledge on her way to obtaining a degree.

Neosho Honor Student Riley Kemna Fast Facts

Age: 16 School: Junior at Neosho High School Parents: Paul and Terri Kemna Favorite Subject: Math Favorite Food: Avocado Toast Current Cumulative GPA: 4.556 College Field/Degree Plans: Undecided, but an interest in neurology Mentor with Studies: Riley says, “All of my teachers have helped me along the way, so I can’t choose just one.”

Academic Achievements: Competed in Lincoln-Douglas Debate, earning notoriety as the Top Regular Debater. State qualifier in Future Business Leaders of America. Student Council member every year in high school and currently serves as junior class president. Also involved in Key Club, Environmental Club and participated in the Freshman Mentorship Program. Sports Successes: Academic All-State accolades in cross country and track as a freshman and sophomore. Earned Rookie of the Year in cross country and track her freshman year. Received Runner of the Year in cross country and High Points Award in track as a sophomore. As a freshman and sophomore, was a state qualifier in cross country and a sectional qualifier both years in track, while being named to All-Area and All-Conference teams.