By Emily Cheatham | Editorial editor, Staff writer
Upset over a bad test grade? Kristin will be there for you. Significant other break up with you? Kristin will be there. Being harassed? Kristin will be there. Need help in anything and everything? Call Kristin Moore.
This Biotechnology senior faces the world with her head held high and tries to sup- port as many other people as possible on her way up.
“The most important thing to me in my life is my faith, and all that comes with it. Contrary to popular belief, part of me being a Christian is showing love to everyone, and treating them how I want to be treated,” she said. “I do not consider myself to be any higher than anyone else, and it is very important to keep that in the back of my mind because it allows me to love everyone despite the circumstances.”
Moore spends almost every second of her free time helping others. She is vice president of the National Honor Society at Indian Trail and also plays flute in Indian Trail’s Wind Ensemble and bass keyboard in Jazz Band. She also volunteers at Peesh Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, and CareNet Family Resource Center, and even was on Indian Trail’s JV tennis team this year. On top of all that, Moore is also an active member of her church, Kenosha Family Church, where she attends Sunday Services, youth group, and is on the Bible quizzing team.
“I really just love being highly involved in the community and doing what I can with what time I have,” said Moore, who will be receiving a cord during graduation for her 100+ hours of community service.
Currently, she has plans to attend Indiana Wesleyan University in the fall, where she will be a part of the John Wesley Honors College. She wishes to go into veterinary medicine and focus on one or both of her life passions, animals and mental illness.
“As much as I hate to admit it, my dad has taught me a lot about what it means to work hard. He encourages me to try my hardest, and that allows me to go into everything with a never-give-up attitude,” said Moore, whose father was a huge support for her during the college application process, a process that called for multiple trips to the campus in Indiana, interviews, and tests.
Patrick Metzler, Indian Trail’s AP biology teacher and Moore’s mentor of sorts, said, “She’s always been an excellent student and as she’s gotten older she’s really started to find her specialization with animals. When something interests her, she goes above and beyond to learn about it. She’s very self determined.”
As she plans to make the transition to college, Moore still remains very down- to-earth. When asked who inspires her in her life, one of her answers was her first pet, a bird named Tiki.
“I think everyone that has pets can agree, they bring back a little innocence in our lives. Many times, she reminds me to enjoy the little things in life and that love comes in many different forms. Animals are, most of the time, nonjudgmental, and she would not care about how someone dresses or what their background is, I try to do the same,” said Moore.
This genuine kindness and caring nature has been with Moore since day one and it’s something very identifiable about her.
“The thing that stands out about Moore is her willingness to help others. She’s very peer friendly and wants to get things right as a group instead of doing it by herself. She’s a really caring person and always puts herself second,” Metzler said.
To get to this point in her life, Moore has dealt with depression and anxiety. It has taken years and a lot of help from loved ones for her to properly handle these mental illnesses and the process has encouraged her to help others in similar positions.
“We all have a past. I was diagnosed with severe depression and general anxiety disorder, before talking to my parents and getting help, I spent every day just getting by and every night feeling helpless,” said Moore. “I became focused on attempting to ignore my feelings and be the support everyone else needed. I immersed myself in school and filled my schedule so my thoughts would be pushed aside.”
Moore went on to add, “What I have gone through has taught me no one is perfect. My depression and anxiety will always be a part of me. When you see me or look at all that I am involved in, you would not think that I am ‘that’ person. Truth is, many of us are. That makes us all connected. How can we judge anyone? Many people are hurting that do not show it. I can relate to that, which helps me show compassion and kindness to those people who think they understand.”
As Moore’s favorite quote says, “Keep moving forward.”