Senior Spotlight: Meagan Casterline, McKenna Haley, & Kailee Redmond

Welcome to our “Senior Spotlight”. Every Thursday until graduation, we will highlight different members of the Class of 2017. Read more about their internships, their aspirations, and where they plan to “grow” after graduation.

Meagan Casterline

Meagan Casterline has been planning to be an event planner for some time. Landing a meaningful senior internship was tough until she contacted Jennifer Darling.

“[Meagan] was one who was a little disheartened, but this was a God placement,” senior internship teacher Debbie Evans said.

Ms. Darling not only took Meagan under her wing but has asked her to fly to New York City to assist in a World Connect fundraising event for poverty assistance.

“I'm excited and nervous about being so independent during this wonderful opportunity,” Meagan said. “I knew I wanted to do event planning as a career before, but having this internship really confirms it.”

A National Honor Society member and high-honors student, Meagan spent high school “on the run” as a four-year member of both the varsity track and cross-country teams.

Meagan plans to study Hospitality and Tourism Management at Grand Valley State University this fall.

McKenna Haley

McKenna Haley wants to train service animals. Currently interning at DogZone, McKenna’s responsibilities include working with dogs one-on-one as a handler.

“The most challenging part has been unlearning everything I thought I knew about working with animals,” McKenna said. “It is also the most interesting part because I love everything about communication. It never fails to amaze me when everything comes together and both the dog and I work together.”

McKenna credits her internship with focusing her diverse interests into a future goal.

Those diverse interests have kept McKenna busy. A National Honor Society member and high-honors student, she’s played varsity tennis for four years, varsity volleyball for two years, and JV Basketball for two years. Recently, McKenna rose over $700 for the Accelerated Cure project, which funds Multiple Sclerosis research.

McKenna is leaning towards Central Michigan University but hasn’t finalized where she will study Animal Behavioral Science this fall.

Kailee Redmond

Kailee Redmond’s senior internship says a lot about her.

When patient/client confidentiality made interning with a speech pathologist impossible, Kailee created her own internship. Currently, she is researching pre-school language acquisition at Our World for Children daycare.

“She’s taking it very seriously,” senior internship teacher Debbie Evans said.

An honor-roll student, varsity soccer and volleyball player, and active volunteer, Kailee is no stranger to working hard and being persistent.

“I have high expectations for myself,” Kailee said. “I want to go out and make a difference. But, I also want to be successful in what I do.

Kailee plans to attend Kellogg Community College, before transferring to Western Michigan University to earn her masters in Speech Pathology. Concurrently, she will pursue her certification as a doula.

“My goal is to help as many people as I can,” Kailee said. “There is no limit to the knowledge I want to obtain.”