Ella D.

Q: Class Rank?

A: 5th

Q: Parents?

A: Pam and Jeff Dailey.

Q: Future Plans?

A: I plan to attend Binghamton University on a pre-law track. I am not 100 percent sure of what my major will be but I am thinking of history.

Q: Honors & Awards?

A: I have received two Braves Way Awards - one from Mr. Pollock for AP world history and one from Mrs. Major for business law. The College Board gave me the Small Town and Rural recognition and I also won first place in the Genesee Valley BOCES Literary Contest in 2022 for poetry. 

Q: Activities & Sports?

A: JV/varsity basketball and JV/varsity soccer. I was a member of Avont Garde Literary Magazine, Interact Club, National Honor Society (secretary), the Interscholastic Competition in English team and Book Club. 

Q: What’s your proudest achievement from high school?

A: Not getting rejected from any of the colleges I applied to. I did get waitlisted by two schools but I don’t count those as rejections. 

Q: What will you miss most about school?

A: All the laughs I have shared with my friends as we sat outside eating lunch together.

Q: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in high school?

A: Everything is temporary. No matter what happens, how bad it is, or how long it may seem, the moment will pass and you will move on. Whether it was a hard test I had to take, a hard game I had to play in, or just a bad day in general, all those moments that felt as though they would never end, did in fact end and I was able to move on.  

Q: What do you hope your life looks like in 10 years?

A: In ten years I hope I have graduated from law school and am working as a prosecutor in a city somewhere. I would also hope I have somehow won the lottery and have become a millionaire.

Q: Who inspires you to do your best?

A: It has always been the people I was competing against that have inspired me to do my best. I am a competitive person and like to win so I draw a lot of my motivation from the people around me. 

Q: What’s your favorite place in Avon?

A: My home, because it is where I grew up and to be honest I love my bed. 

Q: If you could tell your 8th grade self one thing, what would it be?

A: Nothing is that serious so stop stressing about things you can't control. 

Q: What do you want people to know about what it’s like to be you?

A: We’re always trying our best, even if it doesn’t look like it. 

Q: What would the title of your autobiography be?

A: “The END,” as E-N-D are my initials. 

Q: Who would play you in a movie about your life?

A: Jennifer Lawrence. 

Q: What’s your most listened to song?

A: “National Anthem” by Lana Del Rey. Honestly most of my top ten songs are by Lana Del Rey. I love the dark, moody, and classy tone Lana sings with and her lyrics are always beautiful. 

Q: How has living through a pandemic changed you?

A: Living through a pandemic has taught me to enjoy my own company. Quarantine isolated all of us, and I found that it is important to be able to be alone with yourself and enjoy that time since at the end of the day the person that is always there for you is yourself. 

Q: What scares you about the future?

A: The uncertainty it holds. 

Q: What gives you hope about the future?

A: I get to determine what the future holds. The decisions are mine to make, so I can make sure I end up doing something that I love. 

Q: What’s one time you were stronger than you thought you could be?

A: Two days before my junior year started I broke my collarbone. It was a complete break and I needed to have surgery to get a metal plate with six screws to refuse the bone. My junior season in both soccer and basketball consisted of me riding the bench and cheering on my teammates. This was a hard and sometimes painful time but I am proud that I was able to recover and come back for my senior year. 

Q: What advice would you give your 38-year-old self about being a good parent to a teenager?

A: I would tell my older self to make sure I allow my kids to do what they want and not pressure them into doing anything they are not comfortable with.