Sophomore Katelynn Heilman is an exact replica of her dad—not physically, but rather her passion for acting and theatre.

“I went [on a trip] to Broadway with my dad,” Katelynn said. “We saw Wicked and The Book of Mormon.” 

Katelynn doesn’t only watch plays and musicals, but she also performs in them. Her favorite show that she has performed in was Annie Jr. through the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, mainly because of her fellow actors. 

“The people I was surrounded by were so awesome and nice to me,” Katelynn said. “It was a really fun show.” 

She is hoping that, this year, she will be able to participate in the school musical since she hasn’t been able to perform in the school play due to other extracurriculars. 

“[I haven’t been able to participate in the school play] because of volleyball,” Katelynn said. “They’re at the same time [in the year], but I really want to do the musical this year.” 

Katelynn also partakes in Central Singers, which applicants usually have to undergo an audition process to join; however, this year, Mr. Ivory opened up the group to anyone who wanted to join without auditions being a requirement. 

Nonetheless, this passionate singer was destined to do it. 

Her love for music doesn’t stop at just singing–she also loves to listen to music. The upbeat and positive music from One Direction, and ex-member Harry Styles, have turned Katelynn into a fan of theirs. She is particularly fond of the album, Made in the A.M. by the band, and Fine Line by the soloist. 

“I really like ‘Temporary Fix’ [by One Direction,]” Katelynn said. “I love it so much. It just gets me hype. I also like ‘She’ by Harry Styles on the Fine Line album.”

Not only is Katelynn a theatre and music fanatic, but volleyball is another one of her passions. 

Her younger self was not particularly interested in participating in sports, but was more fascinated by reading and writing instead. In sixth grade, however, she decided to try volleyball. 

“I didn’t think that I would like it,” Katelynn said, “but I [tried it and] loved it.” 

She has been playing volleyball ever since. She has participated in both FHC volleyball freshman and JV teams, along with MVA club volleyball.

Even though Katelynn had begun investing increasing amounts of time playing volleyball, her love for the English language hasn’t wavered through her growing repertoire of hobbies. 

She favors books laced with mystery or thrillers, but is also content reading other books that have great storylines as well. 

When it comes to writing, she typically prefers to write about her own life experiences. 

“I really like deep writing,” Katelynn said. “[I enjoy] thinking about what I’m saying. I [also] write letters a lot to people—that’s just how I best explain how I’m feeling.”

Even with all of her interests, the most influential thing in her life is her family, stemming all the way back from her identical interests with her father.

She finds a leader in her older brother, Jake, as well as enjoys the luxury of watching her younger brother, Nate, grow up through the years.  

“[I feel really close] to my older brother,” Katelynn said. “Especially with COVID-19 and everything. He’s in college right now, so he had to live with us for a while—we got really close during that time.”

She finds it a bit more difficult to relate with her younger brother due to the age gap between the two, but they have their good days. She notices that the more he grows up, the stronger the bond between them becomes and the more they can relate to each other increase as the days go by.

From her shared passion for theatre with her dad to her close bond with her brothers and mom, Katelynn has been surrounded by love throughout her entire life–throughout her many interests.

“I am really grateful for [my family],” Katelynn said. “My mom is my best friend, and my dad and I are basically the same person.”