Junior Kyla O’Gorman has known she wanted to attend La Salle, which was recommended by a friend of her mom, since as early as kindergarten.
While O’Gorman attended public schools for much of her life, she adapted to private school smoother because of her empathy and extroverted personality — two characteristics she said that she gained from the environment she grew up in. She believes that her teachers see her more hardworking side, a trait she inherited from her mom, compared to her friends and peers, who she said see her more relaxed side.
Halloween is O’Gorman’s favorite holiday, influenced by her mom, a Halloween enthusiast. She celebrates with fun costume makeup and house decorations early in the fall season.
O’Gorman views her mother as a role model because of the close bond they share, praising her mom for being a kind, loving, and open-hearted person.
“She never talks bad about other people,” O’Gorman said.
O’Gorman takes ballet classes at the Classical Ballet Academy, which takes up a large amount of her time outside of school. During the wintertime, when her schedule allows for it, O’Gorman participates in jazz classes. One of her favorite memories from ballet is when she performed in “The Little Mermaid” realizing the role of a piece of coral and a pirate.
Because of her busy schedule, balancing ballet and working a job at Old Navy, O’Gorman takes an iStudy period in order to prioritize school. She uses the method of “catching up to be able to stay ahead,” she said.
One goal O’Gorman has this year is to maintain a 4.0 GPA, which she unexpectedly finds easiest this year despite the dread that sometimes comes with junior year.
“Everyone was telling me junior year was going to be really hard, but my grades are actually better than they’ve ever been,” she said. “I think it’s because … I find my classes more interesting.”
O’Gorman enjoys AP English 3 because it is more research and nonfiction focused, in contrast to previous writing classes which emphasized fiction, a genre she finds less interesting compared to other aspects of English.
Similarly, O’Gorman likes that the focus of her current religion class is different than her previous two years, as it focuses on applying Catholic moral thinking to day-to-day life rather than solely studying the Bible or Jesus’ life.
O’Gorman hopes to personally achieve “getting the best education [she] can get” as well as attending El Otro Lado, an immersion trip to the Mexico-Texas border, before graduating from La Salle. After graduating, O’Gorman plans to attend college but has decided to keep her options open.
Ever since O’Gorman can remember, she has gone to New Zealand every two years to visit her dad’s side of the family.
Her mom’s family, smaller than her father’s, lives much closer to O’Gorman and her mom. Unfortunately, because of the busy schedule of high school and her part-time job, she doesn’t see them as often as they used to, except for her cousin, who is one year younger than she is and lives in Oregon City.
O’Gorman has visited much of the world, from international places like Europe, New Zealand, and Australia, to locations within the United States, such as New York with her family. If given the opportunity to travel further, O’Gorman said she would like to see Asia, and especially feels that Thailand in particular would be a cool place to tour.
Closer to home, O’Gorman, her mom, and her stepdad enjoy making annual trips to the Oregon coast. The positive memories at the beach allure them to return at least once a year, and even if the planning is somewhat sporadic, O’Gorman always has fun.
