Through his involvement in various clubs and activities in the Sheridan High School building, Cameron Reckard will leave a large void following graduation. Reckard is a part of Student Council as the Senior Class President, president of Speech and Debate, president of Model United Nations, member of Spanish Club and member of National Honors Society, as well as his past involvements in Big Brothers Big Sisters and Sources of Strength. In most organizations, Reckard has led members as the president for years on end. “The thing about Cameron is that he is a diamond in the rough,” SHS special education teacher and STUCO Gretchen McCafferty said. “He joined Student Council as a freshman and has held an office for three years. He leads by example and he very seldom tells people what to do.”

   On top of the extracurriculars, Reckard is currently enrolled in AP Computer Science Principles, English 2010, AP Calculus, AP Physics, Conversational Spanish and AP Statistics. Over the years, Reckard has taken eight AP classes, earning himself a 4.34 grade point average.

   That is not all; Reckard was one of two delegates selected for the United States Senate Youth Program. “Usually delegates would travel to Washington, D.C. but when I did it it was virtual,” Reckard said. “The program also came along with a $10,000 scholarship.” Reckard also applied for the Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship. This program brings students on a month-long trip fully paid for by the Department of State. The students first spend three weeks at the Purdue University of Campus then travel to Washington, D.C. for a week. Only 10 American students are selected, along with several other students from Europe. “I firmly believe that after you add a certain amount of stuff, adding another thing does not really affect you that much,” Reckard said. “The biggest thing is time management.”

   Outside of school, Reckard works at the YMCA as the Shift Lead of the after-school program. “I have been there for three school years now,” Reckard said. “I am one of the longest-running staff members. I love working with kids and getting to chat with all of the parents as they come in.”

   During his sophomore and junior year, Reckard was a part of the Accelerated English course, taught by Jennifer Reed. To get into the program, Reckard had to go through the referral process, including taking the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test and completing a writing sample. They also look at the students’ WY-TOPP scores to determine if they will be a good fit for the class. “I am so proud of Cameron,” Reed said. “He is one in a million. We will never have another student like him. I am really excited for him to go out and represent little Sheridan because I know he is going to do great things for this world.” Reed also enjoyed having Reckard’s lively energy in class. “Cameron is fun,” Reed said. “He has a great sense of humor. His laugh is so unique and infectious. When he starts laughing, everyone is laughing too; it makes the world a better place especially when he is laughing at himself. When he says something funny and he knows it’s funny, he is hilarious.”

   Into the summer, Reckard plans to take part in the American Exchange Project. Reckard will be traveling to Verona, Wisconsin for a week with a host family, not costing him a cent. “Then, I will be off to Harvard University this fall,” Reckard said. “I am going to major in economics. That is the plan right now at least.” Instead of focusing on ACT scores, schools such as Harvard have started to look at the student’s backgrounds. “They look at what opportunities you have had available to you and what opportunities you took,” Reckard said. “That is something I have definitely done throughout high school.”

   Reckard does not have one single inspiration; instead, he focuses on the future. “What has always guided me through all of my decisions is that I have always had a dream of wanting to be a successful person,” Reckard said. “I want to live in a city and be a successful businessperson. This includes a nice apartment with big windows. I use that end goal to determine what I need to do now to get myself where I want to be.”

   Following graduation, Reckard will miss the four years he spent at SHS; however, he is very excited about his next steps and eager to see what the future is going to throw at him. When faced with opportunities, “Just go for it,” Reckard said. “The worst they are going to say is no. If you want it and you think it might benefit you, try it. Even if you do not think you are going to get it, just apply for it.”

   Reckard is the son of Angela and Rod Reckard.