Meet the fun-loving, adventurous, crazy-beautiful, sweet, Class of 2020 senior from WCHS, Allisyn Higgins (aka Alli) I couldn’t photograph her every day and it still wouldn’t be enough!!  Those blue eyes and her smile charmed me and my camera to no end!!

Alli is a very busy girl!  In school, she participates in Dance Team, Colorguard, Track, Community Service Club, Senior Exec Board, and Student Council.  Outside of school, she volunteers for the Tazewell County Youth Board, and the Ronald McDonald House Teen board.  She also loves reading, drawing, coloring, and choreographing dances!  Alli would describe her perfect day as waking up at 7:00 am and magically feeling like she had slept for a really long time. She would read a book for several hours before getting dressed up in a super cute outfit and then heading out to a music festival with her friends on a perfect sunny day that was not too hot. ” We would stay there all day and into the night followed by a dinner out at my favorite restaurant and crème brûlée for dessert!”  When Alli was a little girl, she wanted to be a ballerina or a teacher.  One of her proudest moments was this past year when Alli presented a science project at the Illinois Science and Technology Institute Symposium in Chicago. “I was super scared to present to representatives from Microsoft, U of I Chicago, and a major pharmaceutical company, but after I was done I was so, so happy and proud that I did it.”

This year, she is most looking forward to her Senior Prom. “Everyone gets so excited about it and I get to hang out with my friends all night. Everyone dances and gets into the music and no one feels self conscious. After prom, my friends and I stayed up all night and it was sooo much fun!”   Her favorite high school teacher is Mr. Schermerhorn because he is so energetic about teaching and make it easy to enjoy his class, US History AP.  Here’s some of Alli’s best advice to incoming freshman: “Get a planner or notebook that you can write down your homework assignments in so you won’t forget what you need to do each night. Also, don’t procrastinate, but make time to do things you enjoy”

Three things on Alli’s bucket list: 1. Walk part of el Camino de Santiago in Spain 2. Learn to surf 3. Go on a road trip across the US

Here are some of Alli’s fun facts and favorites:

FOOD and FAMILY

1. Calamari is the most unusual food I have ever eaten
2. Favorite holiday tradition: My family always goes to my grandma’s house for Easter. I get to see my cousin who’s in college and we play cards and other board games. My family dyes eggs the night before and we always go to church Easter morning. Also, I was born on Easter!
3. Favorite holiday – of course, Easter!  (see above)
4. My favorite family trip was to Destin, Florida about two years ago. This trip was my favorite because I got to spend time with my family at the beach (my favorite place). We rode bikes to small beach towns, took a boat on the Gulf of Mexico, and just spent time together.
5. What is your favorite childhood memory? When we first moved to Washington, my family had a picnic on the floor
6. of our living room. I was maybe 6 years old, so I don’t remember it that much, but I remember having fun with my family in our new home.
7. My mom’s baked potato soup is my favorite family recipe because it’s the first meal my mom and I made together.
8. If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? Salad because you can make anything into a salad (fruit salad, chicken salad, pizza salad, etc.)
9. What is the best thing about your Mom/Dad? My dad and I have the same sense of humor and he is always ready to listen to me if I have a problem that I need to discuss.  My mom is always there to listen to me talk about my day or activities and she’s able to help me navigate through life decisions.

RANDOM:

1. I really like learning about Greek Mythology (that’s why I want to visit Greece)
2. My hero is Ruth Bader Ginsburg because she wasn’t afraid to stand up for what she believed in and she is one of the reasons we can have awesome Lady Bosses like Cindy ☺️
3. Who is your favorite singer and/or band or song?  Taylor Swift,  Za Brown Band, and Panic! at the Disco
4. My favorite sport to watch is baseball. My favorite sport to play is softball and dancing!
5. The most daring thing I have ever done is jumped off of high cliffs into the ocean.
6. What’s your current favorite fashion trend? I love the scrunchie-scarf things! I also like the high waist/pants. They make me feel more comfortable wearing shorts.
7. What’s your usual school style? I usually wear jean shorts/pants with a fancy/casual shirt depending on the day
8. What are your favorite clothing stores to shop at? I like shopping at Dry Goods, Apricot Lane, Francesca’s, Buckle for fancier clothes. For casual clothes I like shopping at Kohl’s and JC Penny’s.
9. Why did you choose Shelby Photography for your senior portraits photographer? I’ve had lots of friends who have been Shelby Seniors in the past and I’ve always loved the way their photos have turned out. Also, I love, love, LOVE the pictures from the vintage shoots I’ve seen (50’s swimwear, 60’s carnival) They seem natural, like Cindy has a way of taking the pictures at the right moment. They don’t look fake or staged and the smiles always look real.