Miah Rodriguez-Hedeen is unsure where she will continue her academic career, but shares that she is interested in geology. “Science and history are my two favorite subjects to study, and geology is like a combination of both by studying the history of the earth,” she explains.

She is involved in College Credit Plus classes such as KAP English. “I think CCP classes are challenging in an interesting way, it’s not just hard,” she said. Rodriguez-Hedeen also shared how her parents working at Kenyon College opened up opportunities for her to take extracurricular classes such as Spanish Literature, as Spanish is her first language.

When asked what challenges she has faced throughout her life, she explained that reaching out for help during freshman year and middle school was difficult for her. “I felt like I was dumb asking what something meant because maybe other people understood something better than I did,” she said. 

She continued to share that she pushed herself to get into the habit of asking questions, leading her to have better grades overall, as well as a better understanding of the material. “I think that students shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions.”

Rodriguez-Hedeen shares her unique experience as a lab assistant in a microbiology lab at Kenyon College during the previous summer. “It was overwhelming at first, but I ended up doing really well. I contributed enough that my name was on a research poster,” she shared. She added that it made her be more interested in science.

In the summer, Rodriguez-Hedeen and her family plan on going on a vacation to Europe, such as the UK or Spain.

When asked what her favorite activity was, she said music was her favorite overall. “I’ve done the cello in symphonic orchestra and piano in my personal time. I like it because it’s almost like being on a sports team in terms of being part of a team,” she explained.

One accomplishment for Rodriguez-Hedeen was participating in the Ohio Music Education Association and receiving an excellent on her piano solo for class A. 

“That was a big goal for me to be able to compete in OMEA and get a high score, plus it was a difficult piece,” she said.

Rodriguez-Hedeen expresses her excitement for life after high school as she is looking forward to expanding her world of view. “I’ve been in Mount Vernon my whole life, and it’s going to be interesting to see outside of that.”

Advice for future graduates from Rodriguez-Hadeedn would be, “Don’t be afraid to be different from other people. At the moment it can be tough and uncomfortable to express yourself, but in the future, you’ll be glad you did it. It makes you feel better about yourself.”