As she sits surrounded by various brushes, mirrors, and products, junior Danielle Rapeyko ponders the “look” she wants to achieve. After finally deciding, she begins to work on her canvas: her face.

“I remember watching YouTube videos of other people doing makeup, and I always wanted to be able to do it myself,” Danielle said. “I had no idea how to get better at it, so I just kept practicing. All the time I spent practicing paid off because I have definitely seen improvement in my skills since I started.”

Since then, Danielle’s skills have improved exponentially, and because of that, she has gotten plenty of requests to help others with their makeup, especially around dances. For a small fee to compensate for the use of her products, Danielle will create a look for any occasion, ranging from weddings to school dances. Ordinarily, achieving such a look requires time, a factor that discourages many people from the practice of makeup.

“I simply enjoyed spending the time to play around with different looks and styles,” Danielle said. “It was never a chore or tedious to me; I genuinely wanted to improve and see what I could do with the makeup I had.”

Not only has Danielle recently adopted a new hobby, but she has implemented a new course of education to her schedule this year: KCTC.

KCTC, or Kent Career Technical Center, provides high school students with a quasi-college experience. It is also an opportunity for students to immerse themselves in a course of study they would consider majoring in to ensure that they are genuinely interested in the topic before college.

“I didn’t stumble upon the program myself, actually,” Danielle said. “My older sister recommended that I check it out because she missed out on that opportunity in high school. She didn’t want me to fall victim to that same problem, so I scheduled a visit and fell in love with the program immediately.”

Through KCTC Danielle is studying to become a certified nursing assistant, and so far she has not been disappointed with the education she has been receiving. Not to mention, KCTC has allowed her to branch out further than FHC’s walls.

“The people are justai??i?? incredible,” Danielle said. “It’s so nice to be able to meet and interact with people that aren’t from FHC. I get to experience a different atmosphere, one that I haven’t necessarily grown up in. I think that’s really helped me grow as a person and push me a little bit out of my comfort zone.”

Just as her sister urged her, Danielle urges everyone to give KCTC a chance. She believes it is truly a valuable program that should be taken more advantage of and hopes more students reap its benefits in the future.

“It’s just reassuring to have the experience in healthcare as a high school student,” Danielle said. “Now I know more about it, and I’ve gotten to meet so many more amazing people during the process.”