Scholar of the Week: Miller High School senior pushes herself

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Alana Howard always pushes herself, and the 4.0 student at Miller high school, gets a lot of support from home.

“My parents have been super supportive of me. They’ve always been super excited. I bring home A’s all the time and they are like ‘good job.’ So I’ve always felt that push to do my best, and I know I can do it,” said Alana.

Alana has stayed very busy throughout high school.

“So, I have done cross-country and track for my sports. FFA for agriculture, oral interpretation, one-act play, band, jazz band. I’m in National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes,” Alana said.

“She’s one of the busiest students you will find in this building. Yet she always finds time to help people when they need it,” said counselor Courtney Van Zee.

And she wants to continue challenging herself in college, studying chemical engineering, at the South Dakota School of Mines.

“Ultimate job would be a chemical engineer. Preferably working somewhere within in the Ag industry. I’m not entirely sure what that looks like yet, but something like ethanol designs or somewhere along that line. So that I can still help out all the farmers back home,” said Alana.

“Having academic talent isn’t always what it takes to be successful at college. Having true grit, and being willing to work through things when times get tough is what it takes. And she’s got that,” said Van Zee.

For being named our Scholar of the Week.

Alana gets a 250 dollar scholarship from the Dakota Energy Cooperative, which is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative.

Copyright 2021 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.