Q. In what grade are you currently enrolled?

A. I am in 12th grade at Emmaus High School.

Q. Please provide the first names of your family members: parents, siblings and pets.

A. My parents are Nicole and Robert Velde and my brother is Ryan Velde. Apollo is my chocolate lab.

Q. What is your favorite subject? Why?

A. My favorite subject in high school is psychology because I think it is one of the most helpful subjects to learn and I always found myself constantly engaged within the class learning.

Q. Have you received any special awards or recognition?

A. Scholar athlete for wrestling, MVP for Emmaus wrestling team, honor rolls and two time state qualifier for wrestling.

Q. Are you involved in any extracurricular activities? How has COVID-19 impacted these activities?

A. I’m involved with the wrestling team mainly outside of school. COVID-19 made wrestling a whole lot different and harder to be able to do. It was extremely hard going back to the sport I’ve been doing for years to go back and do it differently by wearing a mask, having constant temperature and symptom checks and being distanced from each other. We also had a huge difference in the amount of matches I was able to get. Last year I had a total of 17 and this year I had gotten over 40.

Q. What do you consider your biggest challenge to date?

A. My biggest challenge to date is probably COVID-19 and the affects it has had on me and my family. It’s probably a pretty used answer but it’s definitely something that created a ton of problems and a challenge to be able to live with it.

Q. What is your next goal after high school?

A. My next goal after high school is to graduate from Franklin and Marshall with a degree in business and be able to be an NCAA qualifier for Franklin and Marshall at a D1 level.

Q. Whom do you admire? Why?

A. I admire a lot of people from my friends, to my coaches and teachers. But I really am inspired by my dad. Being able to always support his family and always find time to come and be at events for me with anything. He constantly is working hard to do his job to the best of his abilities and always try and make his family his number one priority. Also being able to support and cheer me on at wrestling events and coach me in the corners is awesome because he’s been doing it ever since I’ve started and hasn’t stopped.

Q. For what would you like to be remembered?

A. I would like to remembered as someone who is known as a hard worker but also someone who can be fun to be around at all times no matter the circumstances.

Q. Do you have any advice for your peers

A. Some advice I would like to give my peers is focus on the present and don’t get caught up in the past and what’s to come in the future. Time flies in life and you gotta focus on what’s in front of you first.