As Akron’s weather begins to cool and retailers amp up displays of No. 2 pencils, spiral notebooks and backpacks, some folks might feel wistful about the back-to-school season.
The familiar excitement of seeing friends every day in class. The nervous jitters about being promoted to the next grade or transitioning to a new school. The dread of homework, group projects and pop quizzes.
Signal Akron caught up with area high school graduates and asked them to reflect on who they were back then, as well as the advice they’d give their teenage selves, now that they’ve stepped into adult life.
Tanya Green — Garfield High School, Class of 1978
In high school, Tanya Green completed internships that taught her job skills, introducing her to “things that I wanted to do and showed me some things that I didn’t want to do.”
When her mother died several years ago, she discovered a box of handwritten recipes — Southern comfort food she grew up eating.
About a year later, Green sorted through the recipes and began making seasonings, rubs and spice mixes. She then launched her company, which sells products online as well as inside the Northside Marketplace in downtown Akron and at community events.
Her mother, an excellent cook who avoided the spotlight, would be surprised to see her name on Green’s business — Julia Belle’s Seasonings. Today, with support from Akron Food Works and the MORTAR program, Julia Belle’s offers international spice blends and mixes for side dishes.
Looking back, Green said she would encourage her teenage self to stay on the entrepreneurial path.
“If you’re passionate about it,” she said, “it’ll find you.”
Tom Floyd — North High School, Class of 1961
In his senior yearbook, Tom Floyd, who served as a student manager for North High School’s basketball team, quoted Will Rogers, an American cowboy, comic and actor popular during the first half of the 20th century.
He never met a man he didn’t like.
A lot of folks seemed to like Floyd too. After all, he enjoyed a successful career as a physical education teacher at King, Essex and Resnik elementary schools. He coached Firestone High School’s football, baseball and basketball (boys and girls) teams. He also coached softball and girls basketball at Litchfield Community Learning Center. At the University of Akron, he served as a basketball manager in the mid-1960s — when the program reached the NCAA Division II tournament for four consecutive years.
He’s operated dozens, if not hundreds, of scoreboards, worked as an event manager and mentored numerous student-athletes. Since 2003, the Tom Floyd and Floyd Family Scholarship Fund has awarded more than $120,000 in scholarships to 138 Firestone graduates.
In July, Floyd was inducted into the Firestone Athletic Hall of Fame.
Floyd said that, as a teacher, he always tried to instill in his students a sense of fairness. When it came time for his sports squads to choose leaders, “The best thing you want to do is make the worst kid on your team feel like he’s the most important,” he said. “It may make a difference in helping your team win.”
When asked what advice he would share with his high-school self, Floyd — who has been married for nearly 55 years and has two children and two grandchildren, had other thoughts.
“I wouldn’t change much of anything,” he replied. “I really wouldn’t. I’ve had a good life.”
Kathy Vogel — Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, Class of 1988
As a student at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, Kathy Vogel said she had lots of energy, a wicked sense of humor, was a complete band nerd and loved drama club.
Her graduating class had 67 students, which she said made her high school experience special.
Years later, Vogel is a familiar voice on Akron’s radio waves as a host on 97.5 WONE. She’s also released her first book, “Through the Storm: Hearing God’s Voice Through Life’s Tempests,” inspired by her real-life escape from Hurricane Helene and spiritual revelations that followed.
In considering what advice she’d give her younger self, Vogel said that life is tough and made of great, memorable, happy moments, but there are moments that will break you.
She would tell her younger self to embrace those broken experiences.
“Those are the moments that build your character, prove your resilience … make you appreciate the sum of everything that happens in your life,” she said. “You’ll appreciate the small things, the silly things and the big things. You will see your faith grow and realize that your faith is the rock that you will stand on, cry on, lie on and rise back up on.”
Zack Heckendorn — Copley High School, Class of 2022
Reminiscing about his days at Copley High School, Zach Heckendorn said he was an athletic kid who stuck to himself but tried to be socially present. He was always cracking jokes and trying to make people’s days better.
Since graduation, he’s adopted a mature philosophy about the pressures of adolescence.
“Things do get better,” he said. “Whatever troubles or issues you’re facing, you’re never alone. Be there for people because you never know what someone is going through.”
Heckendorn is currently a senior business major at Capital University. He’s also the owner of Capital Customs, which designs custom cleats for professional athletes. For his most recent project, he made six pairs of cleats for Savannah Bananas baseball players. Custom details included a Waffle House design, ice cream cone and cartoons.
What advice would Heckendorn share with his teenage self?
“Everyone is gifted and talented in their own ways,” he said. “Forcing yourself down certain paths holds you back from your true capabilities.”
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Julie Pryseski Beckert — Ellet High School, Class of 1981
At Ellet High School, Julie Pryseski Beckert said she was a leader, outgoing and involved. An advocate for everyone. She was a member of the school’s flag team. She enjoyed musicals, choirs and madrigals – vocals sung by a small group, usually without instruments, often about love or nature. She supported her school’s sports teams. In the school office, she assisted teachers and administrators.
Earlier this year, she retired as the small business liaison for the City of Akron’s Office of Integrated Development. She is one of the founders of the Akron Pride Festival and the board president of the Community Aids Network Akron Pride Initiative.
Beckert said if she could talk to her teenage self, she would share this advice:
“Be kind to yourself,” she said. “Take studies a bit more serious and not the words of others.
“Everyone struggles. Make the most of every experience, good and bad, [because] lessons are learned from them all.”
And?
“Life is short,” she added. “Dance.”
Bryce Harris — Firestone Community Learning Center, Class of 2015
Bryce Harris said that, at Firestone Community Learning Center, he had big dreams, and he fought for them daily.
He would tell people, “TNDO” (Take No Days Off). He wanted to make an impact beyond academics or sports.
“I carried a sense of urgency and purpose with me every day,” Harris remembered.
He’s now the CEO and president of Always Climbing Project, an organization he co-founded in high school with friends — it’s still going strong. The group links people of all ages and backgrounds and teaches youth to become productive role models in their community. He also was recently named associate principal and dean of student life at Archbishop Hoban High School.
Thinking back on the stress he felt at Firestone CLC, when he worked hard but didn’t realize immediate results, Harris said he would advise his younger self to trust the process and focus on building relationships.
“All I needed was consistency and patience,” he said. “Success doesn’t always show up when you want it, but if you stay focused and surround yourself with the right people, it comes in time.”
He added that he would tell himself his biggest struggle is someone else’s blessing.
“So be grateful for what you do have.”
Lisa Wheeler-Cooper — Buchtel High School, Class of 1990
In high school, Lisa Wheeler-Cooper played on Buchtel’s girls basketball team and ran cross country and track. It taught her strength and discipline. She also enjoyed a passion for creativity, from writing to art classes.
During her senior year, classmates voted her “Most Artistic.”
Wheeler-Cooper currently serves as the Northeast Ohio executive director of the American Heart Association. She has more than 25 years of nonprofit management experience.
Wheeler-Cooper said if she could give advice to her high-school self, it would be to stay true to who she is and surround herself with people who genuinely support her growth and success.
“Dream big and take bold risks,” she said. “You’re stronger than you think and braver than you know.”
She added that it’s important to remain anchored in faith and give back to the community that helped shape you.
Said Wheeler-Cooper: “Your success is a reflection of the many who believed in you, supported you and helped you along your journey.”
Tina Boyes — Kenmore High School, Class of 1992
Tina Boyes represents Kenmore on the Akron City Council. That doesn’t surprise anyone who knew her in high school.
Boyes was an outfielder on Kenmore’s varsity softball team. The highlight of her career? Throwing out a runner at home plate in an all-star game played at Firestone Stadium (1992). She called it her greatest athletic achievement — aside from learning how to slide.
She also formed deep friendships singing with the Madrigals, an award-winning choral group at school.
During her senior year, she led a district-wide student demonstration to save teachers’ jobs from cuts. Akron Public Schools ultimately sided with Boyes.
Fast forward to the present. Boyes, the Ward 9 City Council member, stood before the same school district in recent months, encouraging its leaders to rebuild Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts and Pfeiffer Elementary on the site of the former Kenmore High School.
If she could give her teenage self advice, Boyes said it would be to make mistakes and try new things.
“… And don’t throw parties the police show up to when your dad, the councilman [Don Brode], is out of town.”
Sean Vollman — St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, Class of 1991
Sean Vollman arrived at high school with a tight-knit group of friends from St. Hilary School, which helped with the adjustment. He described himself as “not cool” but he was “able to fit in with every group.”
He enjoyed watching sports, covering games for the school newspaper and competing on debate and Academic Challenge teams because he was a talker. He also loved musicals. He signed up every year to audition for the spring show, but he was always too nervous to go through with it.
His first time on stage was years later in “Newsies” at Weathervane Playhouse.
“And that was just because the director thought I looked like Teddy Roosevelt,” Vollman said, adding that he has now performed in seven shows as an adult.
“That leads to my advice that I would give to my younger self,” said Vollman, now the deputy director of economic development for the City of Akron. “Do not let fear hold you back from doing something that you really want to try or do. I would tell young Sean to just do it. You’re going to enjoy it.”
In recent months, he traveled to Denver, Colo., with a group of local leaders to present Akron’s story to a jury of nationally recognized civic leaders. This summer, the National Civic League recognized Akron as one of 10 All-America City Award winners.
Larry Johnson Jr. — Buchtel High School, Class of 1990
Larry Johnson Jr.’s parents, grandmother and great-grandmother were educators. So he always knew he was going to be a teacher.
At Buchtel High School, Johnson said he was quiet, had a core group of friends and played soccer and tennis. But, he added, he always had a desire to do things differently — his clothes, his approach to life.
Today, as Akron Public Schools’ executive director of school leadership, Johnson said if he could go back in time, he would tell himself it’s OK.
“Different is not bad; different is different,” he said, “and the way you are seeing the world, at some point, is going to make you a great teammate.”
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Johnson also said he would tell himself, a student at a predominantly Black high school in Akron, to enjoy every single second of his high school career because the rest of life and education won’t look like this.
At Defiance College, he said he was one of 15 Black students on the campus.
Said Johnson: “I didn’t realize it was going to be as valuable then as it is now.”