By: Easton Fitzgerald
In this issue of The Squire, the student spotlight shifts to senior, Joshua Pikna. Joshua is a very busy student at Eisenhower and is also a great contributor to his community. He plays Varsity Boys Basketball and Baseball as well as participating in marching band as tenor one. Additionally, he a member of Student Council as vice president and is on the executive board for the senior class. Back in his hay days, Joshua also participated in Cub Scouts as an “Arrow of Light.” While he did six years of karate, he unfortunately did not obtain his black belt. As The Squire got to know more about Josh, we learned all of these facts and more.
Furthermore, most people would typically describe Joshua as smart, kind, funny, and an overall good guy. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends, playing video games, and participating in sports, although he does not enjoy his homework time. The Squire has taken the time to ask Joshua Pikna a series of questions to help Eisenhower High School get to know him.
The Squire: What are your future plans after high school?
Joshua Pikna: Right now, I don’t have a super solid plan for what I’m doing after I graduate. I will most likely be going into college or possibly the Air Force.
TS: What has been the most difficult or stressful part of senior year so far and why?
JP: The most stressful part of senior year so far has been my English honors class. Recently we read a book called Heart of Darkness, and we had to fill out journal logs as we read. They were VERY time-consuming. It was just difficult to do them in the time given to complete them. It’s trivial, but that’s been the most difficult part of senior year so far.
TS: Talk about some of your favorite memories here at Eisenhower.
JP: In the year I’ve been at Eisenhower I’ve made a lot of memories. One specific memory that was very fun was after we won our first baseball game against Seneca. We stopped at Corry Taco Bell. While I was sitting there with coach Neil, the guys who went to McDonald’s finished eating and started a conga line around the school bus. That was funny on its own, but once we left Taco Bell, the other guys wanted a picture with coach. They all had water cups and during the picture and soaked coach with all the water; it was hilarious. I’ve got so many more but not a lot of space to tell them so I’ll rapid fire a few: The basketball bus rides home when it’s like WWE wrestling in the back, Bryce’s insane stories on the baseball bus, and playing Jig Two with the cheerleaders holding me up during last year’s football game.
TS: What advice would you give to underclassmen?
JP: Some advice I would give to underclassmen is to enjoy your time in school. I know that can be hard to do sometimes but you must realize that this is probably the only time in your life that you’ll get to see your friends, not have to work, and be able to learn something new every day. Just enjoy your time and don’t look too far forward with the next step of your life until you must.
TS: Explain where you see yourself in five years and what you have done to prepare yourself for it.
JP: In five years, I see myself graduating college and landing my first job in whatever field I choose to study. To prepare myself for this I have taken as many CHS classes as I could to get as many college credits as possible out of the way. This could make a pathway for me to graduate college early. I have also learned how to buckle down and work hard for long amounts of time on a project which will be helpful in both college and the real world. The last way I’ve prepared myself is by getting to know people and just learning how to effectively communicate and interact with others.
TS: What are you looking forward to most this year?
JP: This year I am mostly looking forward to the different sports seasons and having fun with my different teams. Being in marching band, basketball, and baseball puts you with a very diverse selection of people and I’m looking forward to hanging out and having fun with each group.
TS: Is there any teacher or other role model in your life that has positively impacted your high school experience as a whole? How have they impacted you?
JP: Yes, Mrs. Scheid, my former band teacher, had a large impact on my life and my work ethic. She taught at Youngsville High School as a band teacher for over 30 years. She is the main reason that our band was able to go to Ireland and march in the Saint Patrick’s Day parade, something like that is a once in a lifetime time experience. Not only trips but just the memories made and the inspiration to put my all into everything I do came from her. I am grateful to have had someone who cared so much about her students and was so talented at teaching instruct me for all these years.
TS: As Student Council vice president, how has being a part of this club impacted you and your high school experience?
JP: Being a part of Student Council and, more specifically, vice president has helped me in many ways. I’ve learned to work better with others to accomplish a common goal. I’ve made a lot of new friends with people that went to Eisenhower before the merging of schools. It has just been fun to make other people happy and work on projects for the school and students. Student Council has positively impacted my high school experience through new friends, community service, and personal growth.
The Squire would like to thank Joshua for taking the time to let us get to know him, as well as his life goals and aspirations. The Squire wishes him the best of luck with completing senior year and succeeding in whatever path he chooses to follow.
