Lily Barrett

Lily Barrett of Sebago has been selected as the area Lions Clubs’ “Student of the Month” for April.

Each month, area Lions Clubs recognize a Lake Region High School senior who has excelled academically. The recipient is honored at a Lions’ dinner meeting and is presented a monetary award.

Parents: Leslie and Brent Barrett

Sibling: Zoë Barrett

Activities: Volleyball, tennis, National Honor Society, Student Council, Maine Youth Leadership Seminar, Grab The Torch Summer Institute, WorldQuest, Drama/Theatre

Future plans: Study political science, work in campaign marketing or lobbying

Schools that you have been accepted to: University of Maryland, James Madison University, American University, George Washington University, Goucher College, Loyola University, Wagner College

What is your favorite class? Humanities, because the concept of studying where history and literature overlap brings new life to each subject. Also, because we have a large class we’re often given broad topics with the option to narrow it down ourselves, and that works well for me because I like to have some freedom with what I learn.

What is your toughest class? French, because learning a new language needs a lot more effort than just keeping up with the class, it takes individual commitment.

How do you balance your class work and your extracurricular activities? Having a packed schedule helps because it creates urgency, so I’m less likely to procrastinate when I am part of extracurricular activities.

What is the biggest challenge high school students face today? I think one of the biggest challenges for high schoolers is that every year the academic climate in the United States as a whole gets more competitive, while locally it remains apathetic. Sometimes, it’s hard to look beyond high school and understand how important education is, and then it’s easy to lose motivation.

Who has inspired you educationally? I like to think I’ve been inspired by a series of strong women, both fictional and nonfictional. This includes but is definitely not limited to Naomi Wolf, Eartha Kitt, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elle Woods and Elizabeth Bennet. These women survived whatever challenges were thrown at them and continued to pursue their ambitions, and in that sense I hope to follow in their footsteps.