2011 WINNER BIOS
Kelly Gawlak of Wichita has been playing guitar since middle school and has always enjoyed writing songs. "I play the guitar constantly," she said. "Music is a huge part of my life." The 2011 graduate of Bishop Carroll, a Catholic high school, was encouraged to enter the Sobriety Rocks contest by her mom. She plans to major in graphic design at Kansas State University. She also would like to find some friends in Manhattan to play music with. In high school, she was in a band until her schedule wouldn't allow it. She's not sure she'll have time in college, but she knows she'll want music to be a big part of her life, even if it's just playing for fun.
Idea or inspiration: "The Dare" practically wrote itself, Kelly said, when she started thinking about peer pressure. She wanted to challenge people to do the right thing.
Jenna Naumann remembers being encouraged by her eighth-grade English teacher to pursue her writing talent. She still enjoys doing it today. Jenna, who lives in Mayetta, will be a senior in 2012 at Royal Valley High School in Royal Valley, KS. She said her mother read about the Sobriety Rocks contest in the newspaper and suggested she give it a try. Her short story, "Life Without Me," is told from the perspective of a high school valedictorian on graduation. One big twist: the narrator is dead (the result of a drunk driving accident) but doesn't realize it. Jenna hasn't decided where she will go to college but she is considering studying English or creative writing.
Idea or inspiration: "I wrote my story because I wanted to show how the decisions you make don't only affect you, but the people around you."
Matt Woolley, a 2011 graduate of Piper High School, has a long-term goal of working in advertising. In high school, he found an outlet for his creativity in computer graphics and design, including publication design. "I can't draw to save my life," the Kansas Citian joked. He created "Someone Else's Back Seat" in Photoshop. He'd eventually like to study it at the University of Kansas but will start by pursuing an associate's degree in graphic design. He learned about the Sobriety Rocks contest on his high school counselor's website. Then a friend texted him, saying, "You should do this."
Idea or inspiration: Matt never forgot the talk about drinking and driving his mom had with him after he started high school. She did a great job helping him see how many people are affected when someone is killed in a drunk-driving accident. She talked about how many people would never be the same if he were killed, and then asked him to think about the people in the other car, and how that was also true of them.