It was a cold morning on September 12th. Kalee Savannah Mode got ready: she was excited, but scared because this was the morning of her adoption with her foster parents. She has had a tough life, but after 3 years of living with a new family, it was finally time to make it official, finally time to change her last name to Aaron.

Kalee Savannah Aaron is a 15-year-old girl that loves to help people and to make sure they’re feeling alright. While in the classroom, she’s always making people laugh, making sure they’re having a good time. She is just coming from Heritage Middle, a new freshman and a new addition to Heritage High. Wanting to know more about how she felt about that transition, when we sat down for an interview, I began by asking her, “How did you feel about going to highschool from 8th grade?” Her answer: “It was whatever; I wasn’t really stoked because it’s just another year of school.”

A simple straightforward answer, which can also describe Kalee. Like many students her age, Kalee likes to “draw, paint, and watch TV.” Her top three TV shows are “Good Girls,” “The Flash,” and “Vampire Diaries.” She likes all three because, she says, they’re “exhilarating.”  Her favorite movie is “Edge of Seventeen,” because “it is one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in a while.” Kalee also finds the movie just a little relatable, mostly for its depiction of contentious mother-daughter relationships.

I wanted to ask her more personal questions to try and get to know her better, so I asked, “How would you describe your childhood?” I was met with a very short and sweet answer: “Crazy.” As Kalee says, she “used to move around a lot,” which could get very confusing “because you’re never used to your surroundings.” Kalee’s dad was “a hard-working man, which is why we moved so much. He was always trying to find us a nice place, but sometimes it didn’t work out, because we kept moving.” Kalee seems to have finally settled into a place where she feels comfortable, here in the area around Heritage. Her attitude in the class and around the school seems very open, not like she is restricted or uncomfortable with the people around her. 

I didn’t want to bother her with too personal of questions, so we moved on to talking about some of her passions. I wanted to ask about the music she likes, because music is a very beneficial thing in most people’s lives to help them out or make them happier. I asked, “What are some of the reasons you listen to music and what type do you like to listen to and why?” “I usually listen to every genre besides hard rock,” she replied. “I think Hard rock is too loud for me, but I listen to music mainly because it makes me feel safe and warm and calms me down.”

Kalee sees herself in 10 or 20 years “living in Alabama in a house, being a psychologist.” 

She says that she wants one kid and a husband (of course). I asked, “What do you want in a husband or guy?”, and she replied, “Someone that’s loyal, honest, good looking, and wants what I want in a relationship.” Given this answer, I could tell that she was a lot more kind and caring than she may show on the outside. It’s easy to tell who someone is by the people they like or want and wanting someone that understands your needs as a person is very important in making someone feel like they mean something

On a related note, I asked Kalee about money since money is a very important thing and knowing what to do with it can show a lot of maturity in a person. “So Kalee, if someone were to give you $1,000,000, what would you do with it?” I asked. She responded with another simple answer: “Save it.”

“Why is that?”

“I would need it later for a house, bills, college also.”

I thought this answer showed Kalee’s thoughtfulness and maturity.

Continuing the questions, I then wanted to ask her something weird, yet meaningful, namely what animal she would be. Choosing what kind of animal you’d be can show how you view yourself and it could also show your personality, depending on the animal. Kalee answered that she would want to be “a dolphin, because they are the most exotic animal in the world.”

I decided to finish the interview with two strong questions that should really show who she feels she is. First, I asked, “Who is your biggest inspiration, and who or what do you value most in life?” “I don’t really have anyone that inspires me,” she answered. “I feel like we don’t need to depend on someone, and we should be our own person. I value myself and keeping a good scholarship, because that is what decides if I get a good job or not in psychology.”

Judging from this last bit of information and the interview in a whole, Kalee is a kind, smart, and chilled-out girl that knows she needs to think about her future and plan it ahead of time, so she can be organized and prepared. Kalee doesn’t really need anything or anyone that is super different or special. All she wishes for is someone that can be loyal and trustworthy with her. She’s nice and caring and wants to help people, judging by her wanting a career in psychology. Overall, Kalee is a really fun and interesting person who’s worth being friends with.