High school was more than academics

Carolyn Rezac is proud of her daughter Amy, who graduated last weekend from Archbishop Bergan High School in Fremont.

It isn’t high academic achievement or great athletic skills that makes Carolyn and her husband, Kenneth, so proud of their 18-year-old daughter. They’re proud of the teen’s willingness and abilities to help others.

Amy has been active in community events since she was in sixth grade when she joined the school’s chapter of the Family, Career, Community Leaders of America (FCCLA).

"I saw what FCCLA was doing," Amy said. "They were doing a lot in the community. That made me realize how lucky I am. If I can help others, I want to."

The first taste of community service came then as members of FCCLA were making meals to be delivered to Care Corps. Civic

organizations make and deliver nightly dinners to residents in the shelter on a rotating basis.

"I saw I can help others and maybe change someone’s life," Amy said.

Amy came up with the idea on her own, he mother said.

"It’s something she just wanted to do," Carolyn said. "As long as I can remember she’s always wanted to help people any way she can. She’s always been a good kid who’s liked to do stuff like that.

"It makes us feel really proud that she will take her own time to do things," Carolyn added. "She comes up with good ideas. She really gets into stuff like that."

Amy’s favorite project is the Relay for Life.

"I got to help organize a team and get donations for luminaries," she said. "Plus, the walk was really fun. There were 10 of us on the FCCLA team.

"I like being the leader and getting more people involved when I can," she said. "It makes me feel good about myself."

Carolyn said she’s even more proud that her daughter has gotten involved with Relay for Life.

"Both of my parents died from cancer," Carolyn said. "I think that really motivated her. She was there (at Relay for Life) the whole night. That’s the thing that got to me the most."

Amy’s community service also includes helping decorate a Christmas tree as part of the Crisis Center for Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault annual silent auction, participating with Big Brothers Big Sister in Fremont, participating in the annual Crop Walk, helping with blood drives and volunteering for events at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church.

As part of the Big Brother Big Sister program, her little sister is Haley, a seventh-grade student at Bergan.

"I don’t really know any of the sixth- or seventh-grade students that well," she said. "As a big sister, I get to know them and talk with them."

Volunteering with community events and organizations has helped in many ways, Amy said.

"I think this makes you a stronger person," she said. "It’s a lot easier for me to talk to people now. I was a lot more shy before, and I think I’ve opened up."

This fall, Amy said she plans to attend Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Mo., to study either graphic design or elementary education. Two campus elements sold her on the college.

"They have an elementary school right on campus," she said. "When I did a college visit, I saw a group there that organizes different community service projects. I talked with them a little. That got me excited about going there."