Being involved in Interact, English Honor Society, and Color Guard keeps junior Kelly Banegas busy and motivated to be on top of her game.

Color Guard

When joining Color Guard in sophomore year and thinking it would be a fun experience, she also knew it would take up most of her time since practice was sometimes 3-4 days per week. “Practice gets difficult at times, but we always manage to make it through,” says Kelly. Even when she was a nervous wreck before a show, she would get over it because she loved the feeling she would get when performing.

Treasurer of EHS

As treasurer of English Honor Society, she counts money, fills out forms, and handles sales. Being treasurer for EHS is definitely time-consuming in some aspects. “It’s not an easy job, and it has a fair amount of responsibility, but it’s not hard either,” she said. “It feels good when I accomplish what I need to do for EHS.”

Her favorite part of being in EHS is that she gets to read a variety of different book genres and find out about new things to read. She also loves meeting new people while doing what she loves, which is reading. Being in EHS also has had a huge impact on her because of the amount of stories she has had to read for the discussions they have at meetings.

Why Interact?

Out of all the clubs at Miami High, Kelly chose Interact because her friends kept insisting for her to join. When she finally went to an Interact meeting, she loved the environment. She said that joining Interact was the best choice for her because it helped her become less of an introvert and shaped her into who she is today.

“If you’re thinking of joining a club,” she said, “I suggest joining Interact. You get to meet new people, and community service is always fun even if you are working. It’s nice to be able to hang out with your friends and help the community at the same time.”

Managing Time

When she’s not busy going to practice for Color Guard, going to service for Interact, being the treasurer for EHS, or finishing homework from her 3 AP and Honors classes, Kelly likes to hang out with friends in the Interact room, go to sectionals for majorettes, and sometimes just read a book when she gets home.

How does she manage to be so involved? “I have to stay up late sometimes,” she said. “Planning ahead and trying not to procrastinate also help.”

Miami High

Kelly went to Southside Elementary School and Shenandoah Middle School. She decided to attend Miami High because she had been to the theatre here, and thought it would be amazing to be a part of a school with so much history.

“I love the spirit we have at this school especially from the clubs and sports. I also love how students have many classes to pick from, which gives them lots of opportunities to find what they’re interested in which most schools don’t have,” she said.

The Future

Not many students know what they want to do after high school, but Kelly Banegas does. She plans on applying to FSU, UCF and FIU and wants to study something science-related such as biology or chemistry. She also plans on starting a career right after graduating high school.