Amanda Strack is a graduating senior in Edina High School’s 2023 class. She has been a photographer and a part of the Zeph family for three years. Among her many contributions to the publication, Amanda could often be found playing game after game of solitaire. Following high school, she plans to go to cosmetology school to earn her license and hopes to one day own her own salon. Amanda commented on her family’s strong relationship, saying when she was little she knew she wanted to be a stylist when she grew up because of her mother. “I had an idea of what I wanted to be because that’s what my mother was,” Amanda said.  

Growing up, Amanda’s favorite childhood book was the classic “Goodnight Moon” because of the nostalgia around the picture book. “My parents would both read it to me,” Amanda said, “my dad has a shirt with a cover of ‘Goodnight Moon’ on it, and he still wears it to this day. It always just reminds me of my childhood.”

During her soon to be completed high school years, she played basketball and participated in theater while also playing several instruments, including the ukulele and the piano, on the side. “I was like Troy Bolton,” Amanda said.

Outside of school, Amanda could often be found on the sidelines of EHS sports. She is a longtime fan of football and has been a passionate attender of the Hornets’ games in the fall.“I think [in] 11th grade, I went to every single game,” Amanda said. The sport even seeped into her life outside of the field. “I met my boyfriend through football too,” Amanda said.

Out of all of Amanda’s classes, she placed Civil Engineering and Architecture, taught by Mrs. Ramirez, as one of her favorites. “She’s just the sweetest human ever,” Amanda said. 

Ready to begin a new chapter in her life, Amanda looks forward to life beyond school, saying that she hopes to “be able to travel” and that, overall, she’ll “just [be] stable.”

This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on May 18, 2023.