After accomplishing her four years at JC, a 13 mile race, and successfully completing her senior project, Leah Polakoff is ready to take on the next challenge that comes her way.

After finishing exams and classes, Polakoff has enjoyed having time off. “In my off time, I’ve been able to hang with my friends, sleep in, and run. It’s been great to create my own schedule,” Polakoff said.  

Since being out of school, Polakoff ran the Maryland Half Marathon, a 13 mile race. She finished the race two hours and five minutes. “It was such an accomplishment for me,” Polakoff said.

During the school year, Polakoff dedicated a lot of time to her senior project, which was making JC healthier by adding healthy snacks around the school and creating a section on jcpatriot.com discussing healthy habits.

In the fall, Polakoff will attend Pennsylvania State University to major in communications and minor in nutrition.

According to Polakoff, she loved being a member of The Patriot. Her favorite memory of being on the staff was in Mr. A’s Intro to Journalism class. “My group did our in-depth on cancer and I convinced my older brother to shave his head for the picture. Just being able to see everyone’s reaction when I photo-shopped my brother’s bare head was priceless,” Polakoff said.

As graduation nears, Polakoff expresses her excitement for college.  “I’m so excited. I’m going to get to meet tons of new people and learn my way around campus. It all seems so surreal that I’m finished with high school,” Polakoff said.

Ashley Moxley is a photographer for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com