To be college, career and community ready doesn’t have to mean getting straight A’s, becoming the president of Student Council or going on to be a Division 1 athlete. It means being a leader, it means being confident, it means being kind and empathetic to all and it means being the best version of yourself. Senior Lindsey Stoddard does all of that.
Stoddard is projected to be at the top of Kaneland’s Class of 2025 in addition to being the National Honor Society (NHS) co-president, senior class officer secretary, fundraising chair for Student Council, a varsity basketball manager, a varsity soccer athlete and one of the most sophisticated and confident students you can find at Kaneland.
“I started as just wanting to get involved,” Stoddard said. “I’m a type-A person. I like to be in control. I like to be a leader.”
Being a leader is not a simple task. You have to put in the time, effort and commitment to achieve excellence. With the work ethic Stoddard has, she is able not only to attain her goals but to thrive in these elected leadership positions.
“For NHS, I have always prioritized my academics,” Stoddard said. “They’ve always been important to me. So being NHS co-president was important. I like to organize things, so being senior class secretary was a way for me to help organize and prepare.”
With all these activities and responsibilities, organization is key.
“She’s extremely organized and efficient,” Student Council co-adviser and assistant girls varsity basketball coach Michael Cimino said. “She has a plan for how to be productive with Student Council meetings and the groups that she leads.”
Stoddard strives to do the best she can with any activity she devotes time to. She wants to provide each group with the best work, ideas and organization that she can bring to the table. Her natural inclination and talent to help lead is also shown through basketball.
“She is the best manager we could have ever asked for,” Cimino said. “She does things without us having to ask, and her knowledge of the game made that better. She had such a vision to keep things organized and efficient from the managerial spot.”
Not only does she do this with her activities and sports that she participates in, but she works to be the best academically too.
Stoddard has taken a variety of Advanced Placement (AP) and enhanced courses throughout her time in high school. These courses include: AP Biology, AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry, AP Human Geography, AP Language and Composition, AP Literature and Composition, AP Psychology, AP Spanish, AP Statistics, Enhanced English and math classes and Enhanced Biology: Anatomy and Physiology, which happens to be her favorite.
These courses take more time and effort than their standard course counterparts. They tend to require more homework, more class work and a more accelerated way of learning. By taking all of these advanced courses, Stoddard has learned a variety of helpful lessons and makes sure to save time for herself.
“It is good to prioritize yourself,” Stoddard said. “You don’t need to be involved in everything.”
Stoddard makes sure she has separation between her academic life and her social life. She is an avid watcher of teen dramas and has seen nearly every teen drama out there. She also enjoys reading, spending time with her family and hanging out with friends. Not only is she social outside of school, but she always makes sure to be inclusive and listen to others within the extracurriculars she is a part of.
“Lindsey is the most encouraging and inclusive person I’ve ever met,” said sophomore Grace Collins, who knows Stoddard from Student Council. “She never fails to welcome anyone who wants to be included. Lindsey is so sweet. She’s bright, and her smile lights up the room. Whether it’s giving advice or just listening to an opinion, I know that I can always count on her to be there.”
Her attitude towards what she does is what makes Stoddard stand out. Whether it’s her personality or warm presence, Stoddard always makes sure to be kind and caring to everyone.
“I was a freshman and Lindsey was a junior,” Collins said. “She was one of the only group members to actually acknowledge me and recognize my opinions. From then on, Lindsey has been such a great friend, and I don’t even want to think about what next year will be like without her around.”
Stoddard is compassionate, kind and personable to all she meets. Her confidence in herself pushes her to work harder and to do more, which stands out to peers and teachers alike.
“I think it’s her confidence,” Cimino said. “What’s important about that is that she is never boastful, she’s never arrogant… I think she knows that she has value. I think she knows that she works hard. I think she knows that she will dedicate herself to whatever she’s doing and that she has strengths that she doesn’t want to keep in, that she wants to show the world.”
Lindsey Stoddard is not just the definition of a Kaneland Knight; she exceeds all expectations. Her motivation to strive for more, her compassion that allows for easy connections with others and most importantly her confidence that gives her the ability to do anything she sets her mind to sets her apart. As a student-athlete, club leader, volunteer and top-of-the-class student, Stoddard exemplifies what it means to be college, career and community ready.
“If you could ask for a student-athlete and you could create one, she has all of those qualities,” Cimino said.
