Senior Spotlight: Jocelyn Donnelly
Launch the media gallery 1 playerOn October 6, 2007, Tara Machmueller and Joey Donnelly welcomed Jocelyn Lenè Donnelly into the world at the Columbus Community Hospital in Columbus, Nebraska.
Jocelyn has two step-parents: Drew Machmueller and Krystal Donnelly. She is the oldest of 4 siblings: Halle Korth, age 16; Jacob Donnelly, age 11; Andi Machmueller, age 8; and Hunter Machmueller, age 6. To add to Jocelyn’s family, she has her dog Marshal, a silver lab, and the late great Cricket, a gray cat.
Jocelyn says, “R.I.P. the king.” in response to her cat's death.
Jocelyn’s grandparents are Junelle and Dave Ough from Leigh; Kathy Donnelly from Genoa; Brenda and Jeff Machmueller from Leigh; and Joyce and Curt Cooper from Central City.
To get to know her a little bit better, Jocelyn says the three best words to describe her are “self-assured, stubborn, and witty.”
Jocelyn has many favorite things. Her favorite subject in school is Culinary Arts. Her favorite movie is Surfs Up and her favorite show is Tracker. Her favorite hobbies include getting food or going on coffee runs with her friends. Her favorite song is “Missed Call” by Treaty Oak Revival. She loves coffee and her favorite sports team is the Huskers.
In high school Jocelyn’s favorite memory was during sophomore year when she brought a hover board to school for a project and let Mr. Bazata try to ride it. He ultimately ended up falling in the hallway super dramatically and she thought it was hilarious.
While that must have been embarrassing for Mr. Bazata, Jocelyn also had some embarrassing moments in high school. Jocelyn states, “I was in weight class about to do a squat with just the bar, no weight, and I must've lost my balance because I fell straight back. They caught it on the security cameras, so that was a tad embarrassing.”
Throughout Jocelyn’s high school career, she has participated in many school activities: Track for one year; Journalism for two years; Speech, Dance, and Yearbook for three years; Softball, Band, and One-Act for four years; and FCCLA for six years.
Outside of school, you can find Jocelyn working at Schwartz Farms at the Pheasant Ridge site. She also participates in St. John’s Luther League, which she has been in for 4 years.
In her junior year of high school, Jocelyn acquired her CNA certification, which is one of her proudest high school achievements.
After high school, Jocelyn plans to attend Southeast Community College and obtain a degree in paramedicine, which has been her dream since she was a young girl. She wants to try and become a paramedic in a larger city, but still live in a smaller town similar to Leigh.
If Jocelyn were to win the lottery, she would build her dream house, go on a cruise, pay off her debt, and try her best to save whatever she has left of it.
If Jocelyn were to travel anywhere in the world, she states, “I would either go to Iceland or Costa Rica. I’ve always wanted to go to Iceland because of the Northern Lights and the Blue Lagoon. If I went to Costa Rica, I’d go zip lining, explore volcanoes, and hang out on the beaches.” Maybe that could be a pit stop on her cruise! She also wishes to go bungee jumping, travel internationally, and go skydiving solo.
In 10-15 years, Jocelyn wishes to have her dream job and a fun social life, while also having a family of her own with a few pets.
Jocelyn says that her biggest pet peeves are rage baiting or people continuously asking the same questions, especially when they are obvious ones. Her biggest bad habit is turning off her alarms and falling right back to sleep.
Although Jocelyn has a lot of inspiring people in her life, she states, “I admire my aunt, Sara Weise. She’s the funniest person I know and never fails to make a room burst in laughter. She’s gone through so much hardship and continues to be the most optimistic person. I just love her.”
While we wish Jocelyn luck on her journey to college and paramedicine, she has one last piece of advice for underclassmen, “Give yourself a reason.”