Grad closer to childhood dream
Staff writer
Tristan Williams has dreamed of becoming a veterinarian since she was a child.
The Marion High valedictorian will be one step closer to that dream this fall when she starts Kansas State University as a pre-veterinary medicine major.
“I always have been obsessed with animals,” she said. “One of my friends in kindergarten had a horse and that is where I developed my interest.”
Williams has considered becoming an equine specialist, but is torn because she still likes dogs and cats.
She has shown two miniature horses and a quarter horse as a part of 4-H for several years, and also has a Greyhound mix, a cat, chickens, and ducks as pets.
She was a student council member for four years and belonged to the National Honor Society and Key club.
However, cheerleading was her passion at Marion High and she was co-captain this past year.
The pandemic made tryouts and routine choreography tough to handle, though.
“We weren’t allowed to do any stunting until the end of basketball season,” she said. “That’s something that people look forward to the most.”
The school year, along with the sports season has been plagued by touch-and-go uncertainty where students didn’t know if they would attend school or be asked to quarantine.
“If you sat next to somebody who got exposed or tested positive, then you also had to quarantine,” she said. “That could be really frustrating.
Williams had to quarantine twice this year – the first time right before Christmas break and the second in February.
A full slate of activities and demanding classes sometimes proved overwhelming and forced Williams to draw the line.
“I’ve taken a lot of dual credits with Butler Community College these past two years to get as many college credits as I could to get ahead,” she said, adding that she is serious about finishing her degree at KSU early.
Sometimes she let activities go in order to buckle down and focus on schoolwork.
“I always keep a very tight schedule on my planner as well,” she said.