HOME-GROWN SUCCESS
Chelsea Laud plans 6-year course in pharmacy at University of Montana
Soft-spoken and polite, 18-year-old Chelsea Laud is humble about her accomplishments at Lakeland High School. Laud has attended school in the Lakeland School District since kindergarten and is one of the four valedictorians for the LHS class of 2009.
“I’ve been a 4.0 (grade-point average) all through high school,” Laud said.
She planned to speak to her peers at Lakeland’s commencement June 4.
“I’ll be supporting my senior class to continue their education and give them encouragement,” she said.
Her favorite subjects are math and history. She’s always enjoyed solving math problems. Laud is interested in both U.S. and world history. Studying other cultures is of particular interest to her.
Laud also could help many of us with our golf swing, since she’s been the No. 1 golfer and captain of Lakeland’s girls golf team for four years. Laud has participated in several charity golf tournaments.
She also helps out at the Spirit Lake Food Bank and is a tutor at John Brown Elementary in Rathdrum, working with students at their after-school homework club.
No surprise, she has been a member of the National Honor Society for four years and is a member of Lakeland’s Renaissance program for students with a 3.3 or higher g.p.a. Laud has been involved in the DARE program as a role model, speaking to elementary school kids about the danger of drugs.
Don’t think she doesn’t have fun, though. Laud enjoys fishing, scrapbooking, and spending time with her boyfriend and other friends.
Laud will attend the University of Montana in Missoula to study pharmacy, a six-year program.
“I love medicine; I always wanted to be in the medical field, but the chemist part of (pharmacy) interests me,” she said. Her sharp math skills will come in handy, too.
After college she wants to stay in North Idaho and give back to the community she grew up in.
Her final thoughts for underclassmen and her peers is “stay focused in school and have goals in life. There’s going to be good times and bad times, but always try to better yourself and have fun!”