From the salon to the bowling alley, senior Katleynn Kerncher is paving the path to a bright future.
Being an online student since fifth grade could have created problems with socialization, but Kerchner has found ways to combat those hardships that allowed her to create her pathway. “It was definitely difficult to put myself out there once I got into high school, since I was an online student since late elementary school, but my mom gave me the advice to use every failed attempt at getting myself out there as a lesson, and it changed my negative outlook to a more positive outlook in the end as I learned an important life lesson,” she explains.
Kerchner took COVID-19 as an opportunity to put herself out there even more. Knowing that society would have to adjust to a whole new normal, Kerchner saw this as the perfect way to join things to find herself. She knew everyone would be joining or rejoining activities and saw it as a great opportunity to join when she knew others would be, too. Kerchner explains, “Once COVID-19 began to decline, I knew I could join activities at the same time as many others. So as I searched for something that piqued my interest, I decided to give bowling a try.”
Kerchner started avidly bowling at Lincoln Lanes in Latrobe, and her mom even got a part-time job there to allow Kerchner the ability to spend as much time as possible refining her skills. Through this time, she made connections with people that she continues to keep today, and built a whole new part of herself she didn’t even know was there before.
“Bowling has done so many things for me. It’s brought me friendships, the ability to be active, and overall gave me something that I know I will continue to enjoy for years down the road,” explains Kerchner.
Another thing bowling brought to Kerchner was the ability to really start chasing things she had wanted to when she felt as though they were too far to reach.
“Before Bowling, my aspirations did feel far ahead of where I was. I would get nervous when comparing myself to some people I knew who had themselves way farther in the public eye,” says the bowler. She is very thankful for having found herself a little later. Finding yourself later in life can allow you to really define your character and who you want to be.
One of those things is her aspirations to create a cosmetology path for herself. “I have always been the beauty queen of my family. Doing my mom’s hair while sitting and watching a movie, or doing my make-up with a Disney princess palette, and walking around the house feeling like the queen I knew I was. So when I finally felt like I could pursue my aspiration to make beauty a permanent part of my life, I took the chance and ran with it,” remarks Kerchner.
Cosmetology is where everything really started to speed up, and Kerchner really felt her time beginning to fill. She began attending Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center, a place where high schoolers in the Eastern Westmoreland County area who wish to later pursue a trade can learn the basics and get a jumpstart on their future career.
“Once I started attending EWCTC, I really started to feel like I was filling all the spaces in my life I had been wanting to for so long. I finally knew what I was working towards and the place I wanted to end up once I finished, where I was. Starting at EWCTC pushed me to join the Greater Latrobe High School bowling team as well because I realized that I shouldn’t let being afraid of being looked at differently by my peers, since I didn’t attend in-person school with them, get in the way of a sport I have a passion for and skill for,” explains Kerchner.
Now things for Kerchner are in full bloom. She has a career path, an activity she loves doing, and many relationships she has made through her endeavors. Although she still looks back at the moments when she was still finding out what she liked. Kerchner explains, “Without the moments of being scared and nervous to begin finding these things, I wouldn’t be half the person I am today, and I wouldn’t feel nearly as accomplished as I do knowing that I built so many opportunities for myself when it was looked at by many as being extremely difficult to do.”
While she isn’t completely sure of where she will be taking her next steps, Kerchner is so thankful for the steps that have brought her to where she is now and will continue to remember them to get to where she ends up next.
