Lyndsie Gessel is a junior here at McCracken County High School. Gessel says that one of her major goals for this school year is to simply make it to the next grade by maintaining a good GPA. Being an animal lover to boot, Gessel says that one thing that always helps bring her peace after a long, stressful day is her cat, Rahja. “She’s like my kid, kind of,” Gessel says.

After she graduates, Gessel wants to travel the world in a van, being a photographer and capturing every beautiful view this world has to offer. She says that the thought of working in an office as a career for the rest of her life doesn’t appeal to her tastes, and she’d much rather experience the world and explore nature.

Gessel says that one person who inspires her the most is her friend Trinity Johnson, who is also a junior here at McCracken County High School. “She inspires me to be nice and to listen because she listens really well,” Gessel says. She says that Johnson’s kindness is one of the most admirable qualities she has. Gessel also says that her dad inspires her because of how hardworking he is and how deeply he cares for everyone in his family.

When asked to describe herself in three words, Gessel said that she was “Chill, sometimes kind of excessive, and odd.” Gessel elaborated further by saying that she’s not really a rowdy person; she tends to keep to herself and her friends, keeping her head down and staying out of trouble. She gets excited over the things she cares about, which contributes to how excessive she can be. Also, Gessel prefers to spend her time with her family, her cat, and nature, instead of large groups of people or social events in general. She says that while exploring nature and getting lost in the trees is something that appeals to her, not everyone else that’s her age agrees, which could make them perceive her as odd.

Gessel says that she likes to think she has a pretty unique mindset, seeing people for people and not just side characters in her own story. “It helps you to not be so self-centered. When bad things happen to you, or somebody does something bad to you, yeah, it hurts and you’re going to have these bad thoughts. You just have to remember that we’re all humans and we all make choices, we just have to live with them. Those choices were made for a reason, and that’s why I don’t blame people,” Gessel says, showcasing just how empathetic and selfless she is when it comes to other people.