By Shirley Shuman
Kendra Lunceford, tenth in this year’s BCHS graduating class, takes her upcoming enlistment in the Air Force seriously. For example, listing ways she spends her time outside of school, she named weightlifting. However, the weightlifting she does is not just a hobby. It is part of her preparation for entrance into the military.
The daughter of Josh Lunceford and Kelly Coen explained. “I lift weights to gain weight because my current weight is just enough to qualify for enlistment, and I want to gain weight to ensure my acceptance,” she said. In addition to her weightlifting, Lunceford spends “eight to 10 hours a week” conditioning because she is also striving for an honor ribbon.
Explaining why she will enroll in the Air Force instead of entering college, this young woman gave two reasons. “I chose the military to get college paid for, and I want to travel.”
In addition to all of this activity, Lunceford enjoys spending time with her friends and family and watching her little sister Laytynn. Her activities at the high school include working on the yearbook and membership in HOSTA, the health care organization. In her third year of healthcare classes, she especially enjoys the clinical classes this term and noted that she may pursue the health care route in the military. She is especially interested in aerospace service.
Not surprisingly, Lunceford’s favorite class is health care, and her favorite teacher is Linda Brooks, the health care instructor. “Mrs. Brooks has helped me a lot growing as a person and taught me a lot [in her classes],” she noted.
Happy to be back in school instead of suffering in distance learning, Lunceford explained that she missed taking some college classes during her junior year because of regulation changes. She is taking some college classes this year.
However, what makes the biggest impact on her with returning to school is “being with my friends and being able to meet new people.”
Kendra Lunceford’s dedication to whatever task she undertakes such as preparing for basic training definitely illustrates her attitude: “Whenever I do anything, I don’t do it just to participate; I do it to win.”