Mackenzye Knopp

Mackenzye Knopp – Indiana
Nomination by Liza Knopp
Photography by Melissa Presnell Photography
Issue 73 of Inspiring Teens Magazine
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​Nomination: Mackenzye Knopp is a beautiful young lady. She is academically outstanding in the classroom with maintaining a 3.8 GPA throughout High School. She also participates in many clubs including the National Honor Society, DECA and her favorite, 4-H. She will be a 10-year member of the Dairy Barn this upcoming year, where she serves as the Youth Representative. She also is a 3-year Varsity Soccer Team letterman and a 4-year Varsity Basketball Team letterman. With her active lifestyle she maintains two part time jobs. Her work ethic is superb. She is so big hearted and loves volunteering around her community.

Photography by Melissa Presnell Photography

​How do you balance your high GPA with everything else you do?
Honestly, school has always been easy for me. Earning a high GPA and mostly all A’s has never really been a struggle. I am very active in sports so most nights I am either at practice or at a game and with that, my nights are usually pretty full. On the weekends, I work both Saturdays and Sundays, so I do not have much free time. I mostly finish all my homework during class time, so I do not have to worry much about homework. I just know that I must stay on top of my grades to keep that high GPA!

What is your favorite class this year and what is the most interesting thing you've learned?
My favorite class this year is quantitative reasoning. We learn real life math such as finances, taxes, how to use a credit card, when to purchase a home, etc. I find it extremely useful. The most interesting thing I have learned about is credit cards. We do not get taught that anywhere else, so it has helped me understand how they work and when the right time is to get one. This class has helped me understand real life situations and gain knowledge on these topics. I love to go to this class and leave knowing something new every day.

What will you miss most about high school?
The thing I will miss most from high school is playing sports every single day. I am such an active person and I enjoy being a part of the basketball and soccer teams. It has given me many new friendships, I have built good relationships with the coaches, and I have learned many lifelong lessons. I will miss being able to hang out with my teammates daily and finding the younger Freshman to take under my wing.

What legacy do you hope to leave behind?
I hope to leave a legacy of being kind behind when I leave high school. It is difficult to find teenagers in high school who are your true friends, people that are genuine, and that are kind to you and others. I hope that I can show others that it is okay to not fit in and just be you. That is what matters most these days. Being kind, accepting others into your friend group, not being so judgmental, and just having a good heart, is what I hope to leave behind knowing others might do the same.

Photography by Melissa Presnell Photography

​What has the NHS taught you about leadership?
NHS has taught me many things about leadership. I have stepped out of my comfort zone and volunteered by myself and realized it is not that bad. It really makes you feel like a leader and like you are doing something great for your community. It has helped me meet new people while volunteering and engaging in conversations I would have never had if it were not for volunteering in those places when I did.

What is your strongest leadership quality?
My strongest leadership quality I would say is communication. I am incredibly good at engaging in conversations with others, speaking to others, and being able to make common ground when I am talking to someone new. I have experienced many public peaking events, small conversations with people I do not know, and just being able to have a day-to-day conversation with others.

What has your favorite DECA project been?
I just joined DECA this year and we have only been to one event so far. We went on a field trip with a few other schools for a preview day. It was just like an introduction to DECA for new members. We practiced taking a test, speaking, and engaging with new people.

What do you participate in 4-H and why is this your favorite?
I show Dairy Cattle in 4-H. I love everything about it, the barn, the people, and the friendships I make every year. Over the past nine years I have made some of my best friends from being involved in 4-H and in the dairy barn. My favorite part about it is getting able to run around all night and have the best time with all my friends from the barn.

What else would you like to talk about?
I would like to extend to the topic of my involvement in 4-H over the past nine years. 4-H has been a huge part of my life since I was nine years old, and I have learned many valuable life lessons from being a member. I have learned responsibility, dedication, and most importantly passion. I can strongly say my passion for 4-H is one of my greatest qualities. I show dairy cattle and have loved every part of it and the amazing friendships I have gained along the way.

Photography by Melissa Presnell Photography

​What does being a member of the Dairy Barn entail on your end?
Being a member of the Dairy Barn on my end entails many things. Attending all the meetings, helping with setup of pens and cleanup, helping the younger members, making decisions for the barn, volunteering at the fairgrounds if they need help, and being the youth representative for my club. It also includes all the work put in at home. The Dairy Club is such an amazing community to be a part of and I have loved every moment of it.

Tell us about your soccer career.
I started playing soccer when I was six years old. I started playing at a local facility here in Terre Haute. Then when I got into high school, my sophomore year, I joined the high school soccer team. I played for ten years in total. I just recently finished my senior season and wrapped up my soccer career, sadly.

What do you think non-soccer players may not realize about the sport/training for the sport/playing the sport/or the rules?
I think people who do not play soccer do not realize how much conditioning goes into soccer. We condition all summer long up until season and really do not stop until we start playing games. We run miles every single practice. In the summer it is super-hot, and we do lots of running so it is a lot of work. During games, it is constant running back and forth unless you are on the defensive end, sometimes you get a break, but it can be really tiring sometimes.

What do you attribute your strong work ethic to?
I attribute my strong work ethic to my parents. They have instilled a good work ethic in me. They have taught me responsibility and that hard work takes time and dedication. My Dad owns his own business and throughout all the years I have seen how strong his work ethic is and wanted to be that way. My Mom has always worked super hard as well and I think just seeing them both dedicated to their jobs has made me want to work just as hard or even harder.

Photography by Melissa Presnell Photography

​What inspiring things about you does your nomination not cover?
Another inspiring thing about me that my nomination doesn’t cover is that I raised over $5,000 dollars for P.I.N.K of Terre Haute. This organization is a local charity to help fight breast cancer. It covers expenses of cancer patients and families, helps provide day to day essentials, and offers many other benefits to patients and families that need help through the hard times. I feel like this was an amazing opportunity to help out an amazing organization to help others in my community and could inspire others to do the same.

What do you feel passionate about or could talk about forever?
I love to volunteer around my community. One of my proudest volunteering moments was when I volunteered at the Grace Gala event. This is an evening where people of all ages with special needs have a “prom night” and volunteers are there to help them feel remarkable. Seeing the smiles on the boys’ and girls’ faces who were so proud to be there that night made my heart light up. This event has such a special place in my heart because I have a little cousin with Down Syndrome, and he is one of the biggest blessings to our family.

How did you find your photographer, Melissa Presnell Photography? What was your experience like? What did you love most about it?
Melissa has been one of my mother’s friends for many years and takes amazing pictures, especially Senior pictures. The experience was amazing. She makes the sessions awesome because they are all about you and getting the perfect picture to highlight your strengths. I love her being my photographer because I am comfortable with her, she brings so much energy to the shoot and it's also super fun!

If you had nothing to do and all day to do it, where would we find you?
If I had nothing to do all day and all day to do it, you would find me shopping with my grandma. I love spending time with my grandma and one of our favorite things to do together is shop until we drop. We used to do it all the time when I did not have such a busy schedule. You would find us at the mall with many bags in our hands and still looking for more!

What is up next for you that you are super excited about?
Up next for me that I am super excited about is college. I am going to attend Indiana State University next year and major in Applied Medicine. I am very eager to start the next chapter in my life and go to college. I am excited to see how it makes the most out of my experience. Roll Trees!

3 Things on your bucket list
Three things on my bucket list are to go to Bora Bora and swim the pigs, buy a black Camero, and build my dream house when I am older.

Look for Mackenzye in issue 73 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!

click here for more information on issue 73

click here to nominate an inspiring teen