After she graduates this spring, Pickerington High School North senior Breanna Wigington will be heading down to Ohio University with one heck of a résumé.
Over the course of her high school career, Wigington has immersed herself in a wide variety of programs, clubs, activities and interests, ranging from philanthropy, to science, to mathematics, to sign language, to theater.
Right now, Wigington is president of North’s Club Hope, a group of students dedicated to volunteering and raising money for charities in the Pickerington area.
“Freshman year, I (thought), ‘Oh, there are all these clubs, (and) I don’t really know anyone,’” Wigington says. “(Then) sophomore year, I (thought) maybe I could join a club, (but) I didn’t know what, and I had (Sarah) Whitcraft and so did my friend. … (Junior) year, I got really involved, and really started volunteering and raising money (and) just giving back.”
Whitcraft, an American sign language teacher at North, is facilitator of Club Hope.
“It really feels good to give back,” Wigington says.
As president of Club Hope, Wigington leads the club as it hosts fundraisers, runs and volunteers at community events, and support local charities, most frequently Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio and Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
This year, Wigington plays a major role in organizing Club Hope’s annual Rave to Save event, a fundraiser for the benefit of children with cancer. In addition, through her work in Club Hope, Wigington makes meals and entertains families at the Ronald McDonald House while they’re waiting for their children to come home from the hospital.
“It really feels good to give back,” Wigington says.
In addition to her volunteer work with Club Hope, Wigington has been involved in North’s theater department for the majority of her high school career, first as an actor as part of her theater coursework, then as stage manager and, now, as house manager.
“I acted when I took theater classes, but then I was like, ‘I’m not all about being in front of people,’” Wigington says. “I (wanted) to be involved, but I don’t want to be onstage.”
Wigington has been taking a lot of college classes while in high school, mainly targeting general education credits, as well as in math and chemistry, which feed into what Wigington specifically wants to study in college. She aims to study forensic chemistry, with her sights set on eventually working for the Drug Enforcement Administration.
“I’ve always wanted to do law enforcement, but I don’t want to be a cop and go through all the training,” Wigington says. “So I thought I’d take the chemistry and science aspect and apply it to the DEA and forensic chemistry.”
Wigington says a main driver behind her decision to get into a math and science field in the first place was actually the motivation she gained from some of her teachers at North.
“It’s funny, because when I was younger, I always thought, ‘Oh, I hate math and science,’” Wigington says. “But then sophomore year, I had (the) best math teacher ever, and I realized that I really liked math. Last year, I had a really good chemistry teacher, and realized I’m really good at chemistry.”
Emily Real is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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