Shadle Park: Lydia Shepherd is ‘the ultimate example of what it means to be a Highlander’
Shadle Park High School counselor Stephanie Filippini captures the essence of senior Lydia Shepherd in a single sentence: “She is the ultimate example of what it means to be a Highlander!”
Shepherd’s high school experience has included an impressive array of activities: varsity cheer, tennis, leadership executive director, advanced drama and theater, Running Start and community-action group Generation Alive.
“Coming into high school,” Shepherd said, “I was definitely open to trying more new things. I learned in middle school how to branch out and get out of my comfort zone. When I was younger, I pretty much stuck to what I knew, but when I went to Salk I didn’t know many people, so I got involved to meet new people and make friends.”
Among all her activities, Shepherd especially prizes leadership, cheer and Generation Alive.
“Our leadership class works closely with Shadle’s feeder schools, so there are lots of volunteer opportunities. I’ve met lots of interesting people, including community leaders, and have learned about different styles of leadership. Generation Alive is very service-oriented, but also has taught me about the difficulty and value of fundraising. And cheer has been a way to stay physically active, build community, and have fun. We even got to compete at state this year and finished fourth in one of the events.”
“Lydia truly cares about the students at Shadle,” Filippini said. “She is dependable, hard-working, and respectful. Even while enrolled in Running Start at Spokane Falls this year, she chose to stay involved in advanced drama and had a major role in one of the plays.”
Shepherd is confident that the diversity of her experiences will help her when she heads to the University of Montana this fall to study computer science while also enrolled in the university’s Davidson Honors College. She has earned both Advanced Placement college credits from Shadle and Running Start community college credits, giving her a head start there.
“My family has traveled to Montana a lot,” she said, “and I have always loved Missoula. It’s going to be way different for me and I will miss all my close friends, but I think that my most important relationships will carry on throughout my life.”
Shepherd and a high school friend who has also been involved in Generation Alive hope to bring that program to Missoula. GA is a highly rated nonprofit organization that raises money to buy and package food for those in need in the community. The program has helped her, she said, to work with others in an effective way that she hasn’t always experienced.
Shepherd sees herself continuing to take advantage of every opportunity her life offers.
“I try to live with the idea that there is no guarantee about tomorrow, so I want to make the most of the time that I have,” she said. “I have experienced some losses in the past few years, and that has helped me to realize how important it is to get to know people while you have them.”