I’m so happy to introduce the lovely, beautiful, sweet, and talented, Natalie Johnson, Class of 2020 senior from Pekin Community High School.  Watching her leap, jump, and flip during her senior pictures is one thing I will never forget!  I mean.. I knew Nat was athletic and fit but knowing it and then seeing it brought me to a whole new level.. she can fly!!!  I’m not really sure how she does it all, but Natalie participates in Cheer, Soccer, Swim, Student Council, Student Ambassadors, and she is a Dragon Day leader. She also volunteers with her mom as Cheer Coach at Rankin Jr. High School!  Pheewww!

Natalie would describe her personality as shy at first and kind of nervous, but once she gets to know someone, there is never a dull moment and she loves to hang out with her friends and find new, fun things to do! After graduation, she wants to pursue a career in nursing and will be considering University of Iowa, ISU, as well as SIUE. When she was a little girl, she wanted to be an actress on the Disney Channel.  Her senior year, she is mostly looking forward to all of the final events with her friends and in all of the sport and she especially likes the idea of not having to take last semester finals!

She has had so many favorite teachers throughout the years. Her favorite teacher has been her Latin teacher, Mrs. Farley. “She always makes class fun and makes a dead language louder than the French class. Mrs. Farley also shows a lot of school spirit.  Math classes have always been a favorite class because I love figuring out problems and all of the steps. Some other teachers that come to mind who have impacted me positively are Mr. Walraven, Turner, and Unman!”

Natalie’s favorite school event is the pep rally. “Pekin has not had a pep rally for homecoming class games in years upon years so getting the entire school excited for it and participating has been so much fun!!”

My “perfect day” would be hanging out with my friends all day at the beach. We would play beach sports like soccer and volleyball, go parasailing and have a campfire. And then finish the day with a hop on a plane and go snow skiing the next day!”

Here are some of my bucket list items: 1. Go to a Jonas brothers concert 2. Travel most of Europe 3. Become a neonatal nurse practitioner 4. Go on a ski trip in a different country 5. Participate in college cheerleading!

A moment that Natalie is most proud of is when she coached the Rankin Cheer team last year.  Most of the participants are in other sports besides cheer which leaves very little time to prepare for competition, but I did not let them doubt themselves! I made the most of every practice and made their experience worth while to the point they were ready and excited to compete in competition!

Here are some of Natalie’s fun facts and favorites!

FOOD and FAMILY:

1. My favorite childhood memory or memories was all of me and my moms trips to Florida. My grandparents stay down there 6 months out of the year so me and my mom always go down every year and it was such a great experience with my grandparents every year!
2. My favorite family recipe is our sugar cookies. This recipe is very old and used every year at Christmas! It makes Christmas so fun because we cut them out and decorate these cookies every year for many years!
3. If I could eat only one meal for the rest of my life, it would consist of pizza and pasta
4. The most unusual thing I have ever eaten is lobster and I hated it!
5. My favorite holiday is Christmas. In my house Santa is real! Every morning I wake up and go downstairs everyone still has filled stockings and unwrapped presents from “Santa”. It brings the innocence of Christmas every year along with making homemade sugar cookies!
6. My heroes are my grandparents. I love them more than anything in the world and I learn something new about them every time I am with them!
7. My favorite family trip was always the cruises we would take because all of my family was forced onto one boat and we all had so much fun together while going to many different countries!
8. My favorite childhood memories are all of the trip that me and my mom travel to Florida. My grandparents stay there 6 months out of the year so me and my mom always go down every year and it was such a great experience with my grandparents every year!
9. The best thing about my parents is that they are always there for me and support me through all of my sports and actives. They make sure I have fun and have given me a great child life!

RANDOM:

1. The most daring thing I have ever done is cliff diving in Branson at Table Rock Lake. I also flew alone with my class across the world to England, Ireland, and Whales!
2. If I could travel anywhere in the world, I would go to Iceland because I love snow and all of the pictures look so pretty. I know it would be a cool experience to go somewhere exotic like that.
3. My favorite band is the Jonas Brothers, especially Nick!
4. Favorite fashion trend – High waisted pants, fun tank tops, and Birkenstocks
5. Favorite color to wear – RED, because it’s bright and fun!
6. Usual school style – American Eagle jeans and sports spirit wear
7. I’ve been injured every year of high school
8. Why did you choose Shelby Photography for your senior portraits photographer? I love all of the different photo sessions, they add a whole new aspect to senior pictures which makes it so much fun and exciting! She makes it personal and different and include other people in the themed shoots as well!