She won an Academic All State Award and lettered in both basketball and volleyball her sophomore year, and now she’s spending her last few weeks walking the halls of Big Sky High School. Seventeen year-old Kelsi McEnaney has come a long way since the first day she walked through the doors into Big Sky High School.

Entering her freshman year, McEnaney made it a goal to keep her grades up, try her best in athletics and meet a lot of new friends.

Attending Montana Tech for chemistry and pre-dentistry are her plans for college. As it approaches, she says she’s going to try and accomplish staying focused no matter how difficult it may seem, before college graduation.

McEnaney says she comes from an athletic family. Due to being so active, she has played soccer, basketball, volleyball, track, and even baseball throughout her lifetime. She was honored with two academic letters, three years’ worth of academic All-State awards, and her senior year she was Awarded All Conference Honorable Mention in basketball.

Her passion for sports has also led her to awards like Athlete of the Week, and Student Athlete of the year, which she found out on May 18.

She’s not just a star on the field and court, but also a generous volunteer. Because McEnaney wanted to help her community, she dedicated her Senior Project to the Make a Wish Foundation.

At each of her Varsity basketball games, during half-time, McEnaney would present towards the donations. She had a bowling tournament and a silent auction in hopes of reaching her goal of $5,000 for the Make A Wish Foundation. She made a total of $7,400.

This senior is always thinking about the people around her. Jessica Stamler, a teacher at Big Sky High School, who was a chaperone at the Big Sky Prom noticed that McEnaney was upset and disappointed that there was a separate entrance for people who were unable to go down the stairs during Grand March. McEnaney’s high school career helped her realize the diversity in people. To make those very few people more comfortable, she decided that her and her friends who are physically able to move on their own would go through the entrance without stairs.

“My grandpa was my biggest inspiration,” says McEnaney. “Being in a wheelchair he had to overcome many various obstacles. He always kept a smile on his face and made everyone else around him laugh and happy, while dealing with personal struggles.”

He was the first women’s basketball and softball coach at Big Sky High School, and created the softball fields too. In fact, the fields are named after him. Overall, a great teacher and grandfather says McEnaney. He had a big impact on her life and who she is. She strives to be as upbeat and happy as he was while working hard and achieving wonderful things.

Kelsi McEnaney has been an inspiration to the people around her. She continues to amaze and work hard while approaching a whole new chapter in her life.