DeLaney Hagens is a 15 year old sophomore at Muscatine High school. She thinks of herself as a very creative individual, she mentioned a habit of her’s that she enjoys is singing. Hagens seems to already have her future after highschool planned out, which is something that definitely separates herself from many underclassmen in High School.
“I feel like I have a good balance of school and outside of school life and I feel like not a lot of people can manage that, and it makes them either not focus on school or be completely focused in school. I feel like it’s good to have a balance because then if I do my school stuff I can get my future planned,”said Hagens.
In regards to Hagens plans for her career after high school, she is heavily focused on going to college after school, and mentioned that she wants to major in Writing or journalism and minor in music at UNI.
“I picked Newspaper while I was taking journalism 1 because I’ve always had a passion for writing and wanted to pursue it during my high school career,” Hagens states.
Besides Newspaper, DeLaney was hoping to get into some type of music and art classes this school year. Unfortunately, for her she couldn’t fit these classes into her schedule, she is still looking forward to getting into some of those classes next year. However, Hagens is a member of concert Orchestra, which she must enjoy as this is her 5th year playing the Viola.
“I would say I look up to my dad as a role model because he is a hard worker and he is responsible and he is one of the most amazing people in my life.”
In addition to her dad being one of her biggest role models she also looks up to her friends and
sister Nova. It is such a crucial thing to have role models in your life that positively influence you as a person and encourage your success. DeLaney’s dad often tells her to,“Stay on the straight arrow and pay attention in school”. He wants the best for DeLaney, making sure that she’s always her happiest and safest self. Meanwhile, her sister is always there for her and somehow always knows what to say. She is a safe space for her and makes her feel understood.
Success is definitely in the cards for Hagens, along with her family and friends rooting for her happiness she is sure to be on the right track. Many high schoolers are not sure what they want to do after they graduate, but studying journalism and music at The University of Iowa is what DeLaney is reaching for.
