TrekNorth graduate Cecelia Humphrey reflects on high school career, prepares her next steps

May 18—As graduation season arrives each year, the Pioneer features one graduate from each college and high school in the coverage area. Senior Cecelia Humphrey is this year's featured graduate from

TrekNorth Junior and Senior High School,

which will host its commencement ceremony at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 24, at Bemidji State University.

The Pioneer provided Humphrey with a series of questions to answer:

What are your plans after graduation?

After graduation, I plan to attend the University of Minnesota Duluth. My current plan is to major in human biology and start on the pre-medical path.

Apart from the academic plans, I hope to continue my involvement in the Duluth community by staying active in clubs and organizations as I did in high school — the Student Government Association and the Indigenous Student Organization. I am also accepted into University Honors at UMD and I hope that will help shape my college experience on new levels.

What piqued your interest in your post-graduation plans?

I always knew I was going to college and when thinking about where, UMD has always been my top choice as a lot of my family went there. Two of my sisters-in-law attended UMD and my grandma attended and taught there. I loved the location, environment and size.

Biology or science has always been my strong suit and I have always been passionate about helping people and the medical field in general. I hope to use the knowledge that I obtain at UMD as well as my understanding of cultural and traditional medicine to incorporate them both in my career.

Using two-eyed seeing is so important when it comes to Indigenous people in the medical field and that is precisely what I want to do to make my impact in the world.

Have you had a favorite class throughout high school?

I love learning, so it is hard to pick just one from high school. My current favorite would have to be AP Biology, which checks out because I am pursuing that subject in my post-secondary education.

I also loved my AP Government and Politics class I took freshman year even though it was during COVID and mainly online. I learned a lot from that and for a while it made me interested in law school, but I ultimately landed on pre-med.

Throughout all of my favorite classes, I have always prioritized making a connection with my teachers. Especially in younger grades, this caused me to be called a "teacher's pet" but I have grown to understand that it is important to build a bond with teachers in classes you feel passionate about. I did this by being a teacher's assistant for two of my favorite teachers: Alexis Pearson and Jennie Lanz. I always asked for help when I needed it and tried to be a student who reminds teachers why they want to teach.

What activities have you participated in?

I have been extremely active in my school for the past four years. The main ones include TrekNorth Student Council —coinciding with the Minnesota Association of Student Councils — National Honor Society, TaeKwonDo Club, Track and Field, TrekNorth Youth Council and Leech Lake Youth Council.

I would say that student council is my main responsibility and the thing that I put a lot of effort into. With the student council and NHS, I have held many leadership positions. A huge part of student council has been my position as the Northwest Division President under MASC. In that role, I host and lead leadership events for student council members all over the region and at the state level.

In TaeKwonDo club, I am a student instructor who helps teach and sometimes lead classes to younger ranks that are either new to training or who have trained before. It teaches courtesy, integrity, self-control, perseverance and an indomitable spirit as the Tenets of TaeKwonDo.

I recently joined the Leech Lake Youth Council, which I can tell will be a big part of my community service impact and an opportunity for learning and new experiences. I have been very appreciative of all the opportunities and experiences that I have had through extracurricular activities.

What's been the greatest struggle or hardship you have overcome in your life?

Generally, the greatest struggle that I have faced in my life has been figuring out a balance between giving myself grace while remaining busy and staying on top of my responsibilities. I have always had trouble creating boundaries and stabilizing my workload. In doing that, I get very stressed out at times, especially during the school year. I have a hard time with self-expectations that sometimes become unrealistic.

Another hardship that I overcame this year was immense grief that I was completely unfamiliar with. My grandma, Lila George, lost her second battle with breast cancer in September 2023. I had never really experienced a loss like this before, so it was really hard to learn how to cope and grieve all while being busy with school and attempting to maintain a healthy mindset.

I wanted to live out my last year of high school to the fullest, and even now I experience small losses that turn into something much bigger because of the lasting effects of grief and losing someone who has always been such a strong asset to your life so suddenly.

What do you consider as your greatest achievement?

My greatest achievement is definitely my role within the student council, especially at the regional and state level within MASC. My goal was to build my leadership skills and gain a better understanding of how to be successful in a position such as this, and I accomplished it and more.

In mid-April of this year, I attended the 2024 MASC-MAHS State Convention, which is filled with leadership skill-building, activities, elections and creating connections with other student council members. On top of that, there are awards and recognitions for students and advisors. I was recognized for my terms as Northwest Division President and was awarded MASC Officer of the Year.

I was also a 2024 MASC Scholarship recipient which is really cool considering that within my division, no student has ever received the MASC Scholarship, so I was extremely proud and appreciative.

Who is your greatest mentor?

A mentor who has remained constant to me throughout my life has to be my mom. She teaches me so much about life and navigating issues that her and I share so closely. We are alike on so many levels and because of that, I confide in her for help with any battle or challenge that I am facing, whether it be a big challenge or hardly one at all.

When I say we are alike, I mean it. We are both type A, work-oriented and Indigenous women who walk in two worlds. It is so easy to seek guidance from someone you are connected to by blood and that fact will remain something I value throughout my journey in life.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I enjoy spending time with my family and friends when I get free time outside of work and school. I love to treat myself to coffee when I get the chance as well — anyone in my family and close circle of friends would know that about me. I play guitar and like most other people, listen to music, as well.