Layla Vengrowsky is a senior who is the epitome of the student body at De Pere High School. She participates in BSU as a senior representative, co-class President, president of Spirit Club, National Honors Society, Spanish Honors Society, Link Crew, Celebrate Music Club, golf, basketball, soccer, and track. She has worked hard over the past four years to balance all of her activities while still maintaining valuable time with her family.
Q: What is your favorite part about being involved in clubs?
A: “Getting to see my friends and new people during the club meetings. Also sometimes getting out of my comfort zone like with music club — doing karaoke in front of everyone. It’s fun to explore new things.”
Q: When and how did you start your involvement in school?
A: “I was in sports my whole life, so that has been always. For clubs, freshman year was Covid, so I wasn’t really in any clubs because I didn’t want to join a Google meet. Sophomore year I started to join a couple clubs. I wasn’t very active in them, but junior year I was in a lot of clubs and I was doing a lot of things.”
Q: I can speak for the students here that you are the image of our student body…how do you feel about being a well-known leader?
A: “Honestly, it’s one of the things that makes me the happiest right now. Just knowing that people can look up to me as a leader and believe that I am working for all of us is really nice.”
Q: How does that impact you?
A: “I think it is mostly positive. Sometimes people don’t take me seriously just because I am a girl, which is a little bit negative. Overall, though, it is just positive that I can walk down the hall and people will know my name and say hi to me. I can go to a game and even parents know that I am going to cheer for their kids even if they are a benchwarmer or their team isn’t good.”
Q: How do you balance school, sports, family, etc.?
A: “I have breaks during the year for sports, so during that I can focus on family and clubs the most. I can’t really go to clubs right after school during basketball season because there is something after school every day. It is a lot harder to be able to go home and talk to your family because you feel like you are just gassed after practice, but I will go out to eat with them and tell them the drama and what is going on. My mom was a single mom when I grew up — she has a fiance now — so it is special to be able to talk to her because she is my best friend.”
Q: What are your pregame superstitions before your basketball games?
A: “Basketball I have less of them because I don’t play. I usually wear the same brand of socks every time I play. Track is my main sport, so I am the most superstitious during that. … I wear the same shirt under my track uniform every single time I throw and my mom has to wash it three times a week sometimes. I will always wear the Under Armour short socks, and I tie my shoes the same way too.”
Q: What is a favorite memory from “off the courts”?
A: “Pranks on the boys basketball team. I wasn’t there for this, but I know stuff like this is really fun. The boys had late practice and we had team dinner. After our team dinner they went to Walmart and got wrapping paper and wrapped the boys’ cars in the parking lot. We also prank call people during team dinners. Spending time with each other — especially at stores — is the most fun.”
Q: What are your post-high school plans?
A: “I’m going to UW-Platteville and planning to study computer science, and I am throwing there. I’m definitely going to throw there, but I don’t know about the major. I know I am going to minor in Spanish though.”
Q: Now that you are a senior, it is important to look back on high school. What is something you wish you would have known at any point in high school?
A: “People don’t care what you’re wearing. I used to try to dress more like the other girls, but people just don’t look, they just don’t care. If you wear something crazy, yeah, they’ll look at you, but people wear pajamas all the time. It is nice to be noticed and known as a good person, and I wanted it so bad when I was younger, but I felt like I wasn’t being myself for a while. Be yourself and don’t care about what others see you as. Most of these people you aren’t going to see after high school. I’m really realizing that now. Just cut the toxic people off because it won’t matter.”
Q: What are some things people don’t know about you outside of school?
A: “Mostly music and family. I play guitar often. Whenever I have the time and am not exhausted, I’ll play my guitar and sing a song for my mom. I’ll ask my friends what their favorite song is and play it for them for their birthdays. I’m very music-oriented as well. It helps me relax; I used to listen to classical music before every meet. My mom used to sing to me when I was younger which was always a big part of my life. She always made time for me even when she was a single mother with three kids.”
