Senior Profile: Will Friedlander

I recently sat down with a young man I have known for a long time. Will “The Thrill” Friedlander is a man of few words, as many of you know, but I was able to extract a few things from the current senior at Lake Roosevelt High School.

I asked Will how his final year of high school was going and he gave his typical one-word answer, “Memorable.” After a long pause, he explained. This year the class of 2017 has come together, they are enjoying each other’s differences and discovering their similarities. They realized they have been on this journey together and are just now gelling as a class in the final hours. “Our class is really coming together and having fun,” he added, and then gave me that winning smile, letting me know that was all I was getting.

Will is the youngest son of Randy and Julie Friedlander, both alumni of Lake Roosevelt, and has two older sisters, who also graduated from LR. Will said they all support him and continue to push him to be great at whatever he does. Be it cross county, basketball, track or music, they are always there for him. Giving pointers, support or advice, making sure he has the tools to succeed. Music is a huge part of Will’s life. He gets that from his father. They both play guitar, sing and dabble in other aspects of music.

The future also has music as the main theme for Will. “I am planning on going to Spokane Falls and study music,” he said, adding, “Music will be a part of my life. Even if I don’t study it, I will be playing somewhere.” Will recently won a talent show with a friend of his, playing his guitar and singing, and he routinely gets together with friends to play and record.

When asked who influenced him the most at school he immediately said, “Mr. Kelton; he supported every student to work towards whatever they liked because they must enjoy what they do in the future.” Will also added, “His teaching style was much different, and I liked it.” Mr. Kelton left the district at the beginning of this year and many students at LR have spoken of his impact. Will also noted that classes taught by Mr. Johnson, the science teacher currently at LR, are “interactive and fun; I like them.” The tell-tale smile returned to Wills face; I knew it was time to move on.

Will and I talked for a few more minutes and he told me about overcoming anxiety and procrastination, which were his biggest hurdles in high school. He also found that switching classes was also difficult for him. Going from science to art to math was hard for his brain to adjust to but once he figured that out, things got easier for him. “I had a difficult time learning until I figured out that you use a different portion of your brain for different subjects; then things started to make sense.”

His advice for future seniors: “Live in the moment, try not to stress over things, and enjoy your classmates.” Great advice from a very talented young man. It has been a huge honor to watch this quiet, shy, young man turn into an impressive young man. He talks more now and has found his voice in this world. I, for one, cannot wait to see what he does in the music world. I already have a promise for a copy of his first album. Much like many of you, I can’t wait. Congrats, Will the Thrill. You are awesome. I’m just saying.