Sibley Senior Spotlight: Aspen Doud

The Senior Spotlight series features interviews with Henry Sibley High School seniors who have shown commitment to academic excellence and personal achievement. The series will highlight two seniors each week through the end of the school year.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: ASPEN DOUD
Daughter of Marcy and Terry Doud, from West St. Paul
Before attending Sibley, Aspen went to Garlough Elementary School and Heritage Middle School in School District 197. 

Aspen received an academic letter all four years at Sibley, and has maintained a 3.9 GPA. During her time at Sibley, Aspen has taken many Advanced Placement courses, including Biology, Chemistry, U.S. History, Psychology, Calculus, and Language and Composition. She also took the College in the Schools French IV course. She has been part of the National Honor Society during her junior and senior year.

Aspen has been a member of the Henry Sibley Varsity Dance Team since my freshman year. She was a choreographer on the team for three years, a captain her senior year, and received All-Conference and All-State awards for Dance Team. She joined the Student Council her freshman year and since then has served as Homecoming Chair, Secretary and Prom Chair.

Aspen tries to volunteer as much as she can, especially for Special Olympics, events through school, or at local food shelfs. She took Sibley's Youth Leadership class as junior year and those lessons, combined with the requirements of National Honor Society, has helped her stay active in volunteering. 

After she graduates in June, Aspen will attend the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire to major in Communication Sciences and Disorders in hopes of becoming a Speech Pathologist. 


District 197: How has Sibley prepared you to succeed after graduation? 
Aspen: Sibley has taught me to push myself and have a strong work ethic.  Being involved at Sibley has taught me to balance my time between my activities and homework in order to be successful.  I feel confident in my abilities and am ready to go to college next year thanks to the wonderful environment and staff at Sibley.

Who is your favorite teacher or what is your favorite subject at Sibley?
My favorite teacher at Henry Sibley is Mrs. Footh. I have known her since freshman year, because she is the advisor of student council, and have had her as a teacher both my junior and senior years. She has created a huge impact on my life by always encouraging me and inspiring me to excel in everything I do.  She is an amazing person and is very dedicated to helping students succeed. She is incredibly caring and I am so lucky to have known her these past four years.  

What’s a memory from your time at Sibley that will always stay with you?
A memory at Sibley that will always stay with me is making it to State in Dance Team. I got the opportunity to dance on the state floor both my junior and senior year, and it was amazing. It is an incredible feeling to know the hard work you and your team put into the season finally paid off. I am so glad that I joined the Dance Team as a freshman, and have loved representing Sibley on the team for four years!  

What advice do you have for younger students about high school? 
The biggest advice I have for someone entering high school would be to get involved in as many things as possible.School is so much more enjoyable when you are involved in it, and it is a great feeling to be able to represent your school in a positive way!  I would say to take classes that challenge you, in order to be able to work to your full potential. The high school workload can be crazy at times, but nothing is ever impossible and it all works out in the end  In high school it is important to just be yourself, and make the most out of every moment.

Any closing thoughts?
I have loved being a part of the Sibley community for four years! I am so thankful for all of the people I have met and all the life lessons I have learned during my time at Sibley.


Read about other achievements by students in the Class of 2014:

   - Sibley Senior Spotlight: Victor Corral
   - Kate McKay named Henry Sibley High School’s 2014 Athena Award winner
   - Henry Sibley student Jake Jaeger wins Region Triple A Award
   - National Leadership training inspires Sibley student Jose Salazar to make change
   - Sixty-five Sibley students earn AP Scholars honors
   - Three Henry Sibley seniors recognized by National Merit Scholarship Program
   - Meet the School Board's new Student Representative, Mikaela Ziegler