November is a month full of new beginnings. A month of gratitude and celebration.
To officially start this holiday season off, we are pleased to introduce you to Prospectus’ Editor-in-Chief, 19-year-old, Halee Fyke. A second-year Parkland student, Fyke is currently majoring in Elementary Education and will graduate with the spring class of 2022, earning her EED Associates of Arts degree.
Fyke grew up in the small town of Cisco, Illinois, and attended Monticello schools growing up. She graduated from Monticello High School in December of 2019, a semester before her classmates, and returned to walk the stage in May of 2020 during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A year and a half later, she is now serving as the 2021-2022 President of Parkland College’s Alpha Psi Eta Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Co-President of the Parkland College Student Education Association (PCSEA), Co-Founder of The Lit Ladder (a non-profit literacy organization based in Illinois), and the Editor-in-Chief of the Parkland Prospectus.
In addition to these organizations, she has committed herself to 18 credit hours this semester while working 40+ hours a week at a local hospital in Monticello. Fyke manages her demanding days by taking a mixture of evening and hybrid classes and spends her mornings at work.
Due to the impact of the pandemic and classes being online last semester, many college students learned to look at schooling in a new way. Fyke was one of many students affected by this. “Last year was hard for a lot of my peers and myself included. Entering college in such an unsure time was stressful in itself. This year has been the first time I’ve really been able to get involved and I am fully taking advantage of it!” said Fyke. Though it is limited in Fyke’s free time, she enjoys journaling, cooking, volunteering, kayaking, reading, and organizing anything within reach.
Between spending 80 hours bi-weekly at work, running several clubs, managing different organizations, and taking five college courses life can get stressful. When these priorities become overwhelming, Fyke recalls why she started in the first place to keep progressing.
“Sometimes I feel overwhelmed but I always reassure myself that all of the hard work that I am doing now will pay off sooner than I can even imagine.”
Congratulations to the Honorary Student of November, Halee Fyke. After graduating from Millikin University, Halee plans to teach elementary-level Montessori education while continuing her educational career. “I will strive to better our future classrooms, inspire growth, instill courage and individualism, and most of all, leave my mark on the world through this passion for sharing the love and knowledge that burns inside of me,” said Fyke.
The Prospectus ‘Student of the Month’ column has officially been changed to ‘Prospectus Honorary Student’. If you or a friend would like nominate an individual as an Honorary Student, feel free to contact Joviane Pembele directly at: jpembele1@stu.parkland.edu.
