Everyone knows that the Larned High School 2020 graduates definitely had an exhausting and problematic high school career. With missing many crucial high school experiences including track meets, music concerts, and not having a normal graduation ceremony, one could say that the graduates were doomed to an unlucky college and after-school life. However, one student, in particular, rose to the challenge and showed that she could overcome any obstacle in her way.  Corrie Upson’s road to success is an impressive and inspiring journey worth learning about.

Throughout her high school life, Corrie included Band, FCCLA, Nationals Honor Society, tennis, track, jazz band, pep band, and more. When asked what her favorite high school memories were, Corrie stated that “All of my track meets were my favorite. I got to hang out with my friends and compete.”

Covid was hard for all of the Larned High School grades, but the seniors were arguably damaged the most by the virus. Not only did they miss events like track meets, music concerts, or just being a senior kid in high school, but they also missed having a normal graduation ceremony. While talking about how covid affected her senior year, Corrie stated: “We missed out on a lot of class bonding. Whether it was just sitting in class or out at a track meet, we all were experiencing that together. We also missed out on just having a normal last 4-5 weeks.” Instead of graduating in April, Corrie’s grade was forced to wait until the self-isolation rule was lifted to have a graduation ceremony. This finally happened in July and seniors were able to wear their cap and gowns and graduate properly. 

Corrie went to Barton Community College after high school and graduated with an associate arts degree in music education. Corries extracurricular activities include Concert band, Jazz band, Rock band, Concert choir, Show choir, Marching band, and Pep band. She received a scholarship to FHSU and was on the dean’s honor roll all four semesters she attended Barton Community College. She was also on the Fort Hays State University’s dean’s honor roll last semester as well! Extracurricular activities for Corrie include Concert band, Jazz band, Rock band, Concert choir, Show choir, Marching band, and Pep band. Corrie’s future plans are to graduate from Fort Hays with a Bachelor of music and also a Bachelor of Science degree. After graduation, she plans to come back to Larned to teach music to students. Overall, Corrie Upson is a great role model for high school students and we cannot wait to see what the future has in store for her!