A leader in the classroom, on the trail and in the community, senior Isabella Ohler is leaving a lasting impact at Hoover High School. Whether it’s in a sport, club or extracurricular activity, she puts all her effort into it.
“I am involved in cross country, lacrosse, National Honors Society, Agape Girls, Link Crew, and student council,” Ohler said. “I also have a job at Almost Heaven Ice Cream.”
Cross country coach, Mr. David Neitzelt, recognizes Ohler’s dedication to the sport and the effect she has on her teammates. He also understands the difficult complexity of being a student in accelerated classes and in a demanding sport at the same time.
“[Isabella] possesses a unique set of physical, mental, and character traits that enable her to succeed in this demanding sport,” Neitzelt said. “These qualities extend beyond raw athletic ability, emphasizing perseverance, strategy, and team-oriented values.”
While taking part in all of these activities, Ohler also finds a way to balance her social and academic life.
“To balance schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and my social life, I complete my schoolwork efficiently and try not to procrastinate,” Ohler said. “I attend practices and meetings for my extracurricular activities regularly when they are scheduled and spend time with my friends and family on the weekends when I am not working.”
Having a busy lifestyle can make keeping a friendship difficult, but her best friend and Hoover senior, Blake LaChance, has never felt unimportant in Ohler’s life and admires the effort Ohler makes towards her friends.
“One thing I admire about Isabella is her giving personality,” LaChance said. “Isabella is someone who goes out of their way to make a cute little birthday present or bring coffee to you on a rough day. No matter who it is, [Isabella] will always put her whole heart into making at least one person happy with her giving nature.”
One thing that’s led to her busy school life is the number of courses and the level of courses she takes. Ohler has always strived to be the best in the highest of classes, while also enjoying the material she’s learned.
“My favorite classes that I have taken at the high school are AP Biology, AP Government, and AP Calculus,” Ohler said. “AP Biology is one of my favorite classes that I have taken because Dr. Colles, who is now retired, is my favorite teacher I have had. AP Government was also super interesting to learn about and Mr. Motz made the course exciting. Lastly, AP Calculus was one of my favorite classes because I enjoy math, and I had a lot of fun with my classmates.”
Even though taking courses of this criteria and shortening her summers for cross country comes with its challenges, the busy four years she’s lived have also rewarded Ohler in many ways, academically and personally.
“Accomplishments that I am proud of from my high school years regarding academics are maintaining a 4.5 GPA, receiving the Governor’s Merit Scholarship, and being a National Merit Commended Student,” Ohler said. “An accomplishment that I am proud of regarding athletics is being a four-year letterman in cross country.”
Keeping a GPA over 4.0 while also lettering in a sport is a task not many can say they’ve achieved. Mr. Neitzelt gives credit to Ohler’s commitment for this achievement.
“[Isabella] strikes a balance between her academic and athletic commitments while embodying qualities that contribute to personal growth and the success of her team,” Neitzelt said. “She maintains high academic standards and demonstrates a genuine interest in learning while showing up consistently for practices, workouts, and meets, putting in extra effort to improve her skills.”
LaChance has not only watched Ohler take on all these challenges, but she has also watched her accomplish every single thing she’s put her mind to. Ohler has watched the same thing happen throughout LaChance’s life.
“Since we have been best friends since before preschool, [Isabella] and I have gone through each stage of life together, and she has stuck with me during the crazy years of high school!” LaChance said. “We played the same sports throughout high school and took some of the same classes, spending almost all of high school together!”
Another important relationship in Ohler’s life, specifically academically, is with her retired previous teacher, Dr. Scott Colles, who greatly affected her love for school.
“A teacher who has made a big impact on me is Dr. Colles because he grew my love for learning and made my AP Biology class interesting,” Ohler said. “He made sure each and every one of his students understood the content he was teaching and cared about us as people.”
As the future slowly approaches, Ohler has ideas of what she hopes her life will look like. Overall, she is excited for all the new experiences that will be presented to her.
“After high school, I am most excited to attend college and meet new people,” Ohler said. “I am also excited to discover my career path and potentially travel abroad.”
As a student who has enjoyed most of the classes she has taken, Ohler is not completely set on a career path she wants to pursue in college. As someone who has watched her expand her horizons for four years, Mr. Neitzelt doesn’t need to know what career she’ll pursue to know she’ll be exceptional at it.
“I know [Isabella] will excel at whatever path she chooses,” Neitzelt said. “It doesn’t matter [what she does]. I just simply know she will be a cut above the rest, persevere through all obstacles, and come out as one of the best in the end.”
Isabella Ohler is a hardworking, determined, helpful and dependent person academically, socially and athletically. Later this year, she will close her high school chapter of her life. She’s learned a lot the last four years but Ohler hopes everyone who will continue living in their high school years makes the most of them.
“[A tip I have for high schoolers is] to make the most of high school,” Ohler said. “While it is important to try your best and put effort into academics, it is not the end of the world if you don’t do as well as you hoped on a test.”
