Alyssa Koeltzow

Alyssa Koeltzow – Colorado
Nomination & Photography by Capture Me Photography by Chandra
Issue 71 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

​Nomination: Alyssa Koeltzow is a Colorado high school senior class of 2024. Her favorite two things in the world are her cat and car. Her dog Obi is basically her in animal form. She loves to paint and go to concerts for various artists but is a Swifty fan for life! She is planning on going into the medical field and working with the heart.

Photography by Capture Me Photography by Chandra

​What inspiring things about you does your nomination not cover?
I am an officer for and have been highly involved in FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) for years and am exploring the ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) programs to help me pay for college and serve my country. I have also played volleyball since I was 5 years old and would say my competitive spirit helped me become well rounded on the court. I can play most positions and my goal is to stay out on the court as much as possible to contribute to the team win.

What else would you like to talk about?
I am looking toward the future and want to study medicine, specifically the heart. My current goal is to work in Cardiology, specifically Interventional Cardiology. I'm aware of the years of study, schooling, and commitment this involves, but I can honestly say that I've loved anything related to science for years. As soon as I started to learn about the heart in more detail during my Anatomy and Physiology classes in high school I was hooked, and I haven't looked back.

Why did you choose the medical field and working with the heart in particular?
I chose the medical field because I really like science in general. It’s a field where you’re always going to have something new – it will never be repetitive. I like the heart because it interested me from the beginning, and I kept finding myself wanting to learn more about it. It’s amazing that a muscle can keep the whole body moving and circulate blood through so many veins and arteries.

What are you doing now to prepare for this career?
Continuing my high school classes, in particular College Biology, as I already finished up Anatomy and Physiology last year. I’m also focused on finding a college where I can Major in Biology or a similar major as my Pre-Med focus. I’m also looking for a school where I could possibly get some clinical experience or access in conjunction with classroom learning, such as a school closely associated with a hospital or research facility.

How did you find your photographer, Capture Me Photography by Chandra? What was your experience like? What did you love most about it?
I found Capture Me Photography by Chandra on Instagram and really loved her style and the way she incorporated light and nature into her senior photographs. I just knew she would help capture me the way I see myself and wow did she succeed. She was great to work from start to finish! She started with getting to know me and what I wanted in my senior pics and even came up with a greenhouse location that was better than I could have imagined. She made it easy to relax and be myself throughout the shoot.

What are you most looking forward to in your senior year?
Not having as many classes, for a change, so I can stay on top of the classes I do have as well as still have time to ENJOY this last year with my friends. I know a lot of us are going to be moving to different places for college and our lives will change so I want to make sure I create some great memories while I still have the chance. I also look forward to deciding where to go to college and starting to be more independent and on my own in a new place.

Pic by Alyssa Koeltzow

​What do you and your friends like to do together?
Go to concerts, shopping together, running to Dutch Bros. for a drink, laughing and hanging out at the park. We sometimes find the time to head out to Horsetooth, a local reservoir in the foothills, just to enjoy small hikes or appreciate the sunrise.

What words of wisdom do you have for underclassmen?
Find a good teacher you can go to with questions, concerns, and advice. High school can feel overwhelming and there are sometimes pressures that come from classwork but ALSO that you put on yourself and having a great teacher you can go to when you’re stressed is so helpful. High school teachers have probably seen or heard it before and can really relate and give you great advice on how to handle things that come up.

Tell us about your cat & dog & your special relationship?
Let’s start with Pete . . . he’s my “covid” cat. We adopted him from the shelter and from the minute he saw me he claimed me – he literally climbed on my lap and settled into my shoulder. He’s slightly crazy, has been known to steal bread from the counter and he’s not afraid to reach his paw out to try to pull my hand with a bite of ice cream towards himself. Obi is my 1-year-old Labrador so he’s still got all the puppy energy and just wants to be loved – all the time.

What about your car makes it so special to you?
I don’t know if I can completely explain it. My grandpa got me interested in cars since I saw him working on cars growing up. When it was time for me to get my own car, I worked hard to find a Hyundai Genesis in good shape that I could afford. I had to use my savings for my portion of the cost and I’m proud that it wasn’t just handed to me. I am trying to save up now to do some upgrades on it, but it will take time to do all the cool things I want to do to my car.

Tell us about a special picture you've painted.
When it comes to painting, it’s more about the painting experience than the final picture. I’ve done several different types of paintings and my mom and I sat through a Bob Ross tutorial and tried to follow along, with lots of pauses and rewinding to catch up. Our final results weren’t bad, but they definitely didn’t look like Bob Ross’s final product.

What about Taylor Swift do you admire the most?
She’s got a song for everything. Good days, bad days, heartbreak, anger, positivity – she’s so good at capturing the moods and feelings that everyone has and her lyrics are often so clever it amazes me. I also admire how she isn’t afraid to speak her mind and that she’s open about how she’s had to learn to be herself. It’s great to see a strong female role model.

Tell us about your family and what you like to do together.
My immediate family consists of my sister Morgan, who just left the country to go to the University of Chester in England, my dad, and my mom. I also am lucky enough to have both sets of my grandparents relatively close, with my dad’s parents here in my hometown and my mom’s parents only about 8 hours away in Kansas. My parents are divorced so many of our family holidays are somewhat split, but they work hard to make sure that I get time with both sides of the family whenever possible.

What is a family memory you will never forget?
Camping up in the Rocky Mountains. We’d go up there with my grandparents and spend a 3–4-day weekend in the camper and enjoy fishing and riding 4-wheelers through the pine trees and aspens. We’d see a lot of smaller wildlife and even see deer, moose, and eagles. It’s so beautiful up there and I appreciate the chance to slow down and spend that time with my family.

What do you feel passionate about or could talk about forever?
Oh my goodness, get me started talking about fast cars, Taylor Swift Music, or my cat Pete and I can talk your ear off. I also find myself explaining and discussing everything I learn and know about the heart and bones - biology class is something I always look forward to, to be honest. I also love lots of different types of music, so I love to find new artists and am working on building my vinyl collection, as I really like to listen to music on my record player as I clean or study.

If you had nothing to do and all day to do it, where would we find you?
Asleep. If that weren’t an option I’d probably be shopping (with someone else’s money, if I had my choice) or maybe I’d lock myself in my room to get caught up on the many “To Be Read” books that are sitting on top of my dresser.

What is up next for you that you are super excited about?
Probably club volleyball season. I love playing in tournaments and the opportunity to go out of state for two different tournaments. The really nice thing about being in club volleyball, beyond the obvious part of playing and being competitive, is that I got to build great friendships with my teammates. We all go to different schools, so if it weren’t for club volleyball, I would have never met these great girls who have become so close.

Look for Alyssa in issue 71 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!

click here for more information on issue 71

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