Courtney Krupala discovered her life’s ambition as a six-year-old, sketching her dream house.
The Harlingen High School South junior wants to study architecture after graduation because it’s a profession that allows her to combine her diverse skill set that includes quantities and qualitative attributes.
Krupala has the type of problem that doesn’t garner much sympathy. She is a talented sketch artist and musician, playing the clarinet in the Mighty Hawk Band.
“I can’t really imagine my life without music,” Krupala said. “I use it as an inspiration because its my creative outlet. I have a passion for the music itself, and with the band, it gives me the opportunity to work as a leader.”
This past year, Krupala served the Mighty Hawk Band as one of the group’s drum majors, where she relished in the opportunity to hone her leadership skills.
“I feel a lot of pride when I hear our drum line kickoff,” she said. “When I’m with our other drum majors in front of the band, I really enjoy presenting the band. They put in a lot of hours practicing their music. I really enjoy being able to show off all of their hard work.“
To compliment her qualitative characteristics, Krupala is an outstanding student, currently ranked in the top one percent of her class. She’s also competitor in University Interscholastic League events and a national qualifier for the Future Business Leaders of America conference for the accounting competition. She placed second at the FBLA Texas Conference earlier this year, scoring higher than all but one student on a 100 question test that covers ethics, accounting problems and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission terminology.
“I saw it as an opportunity to try something new and to challenge myself,” she said.
Krupala will be off for Orlando for the FBLA conference later this summer. She’ll juggle band and life as a teenager as well, always striving to finish her high school tenure strong and ready for college and the workforce.
“I just want to make sure I get the whole high school experience,” she said.