Alondra Portillo is a senior at HHS. She is an intern for Megan Lippard at Blossom Beauty Bar in Enid. Alondra was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her family moved to Hennessey to be closer to family when she was very young and she has attended HPS since kindergarten. She is a member of NHS (National Honor Society) and YAHL (Youth Action for Health Leadership). She has also been a member of the Hennessey girls’ volleyball team for four years. Currently, she is working at Casa Teja here in Hennessey. Alondra’s favorite past time is rather unique. She creates flower bouquets. This hobby was something she stumbled across when she needed a bouquet to give to a friend. Friends and family were so impressed by her creations, they began requesting the bouquets, and now she has her own little business on the side selling her bouquets. A little over a year ago, Alondra was involved in a serious ATV accident. She had some serious injuries to her facial area. This required a delicate surgery to prevent severe scarring to her face. The plastic surgeon and the team did such a wonderful job, and Alondra was so pleased, she began to consider a career as an aesthetic nurse. An aesthetic nurse’s primary focus is cosmetic and dermatological procedures. Nurses in this field commonly work at outpatient surgical centers or medical spas. Alondra shared that she is thoroughly enjoying her time at the Blossom Bar under the guidance of Megan Lippard. While she can’t actually do a lot of hands-on tasks, she has been able to observe a variety of procedures including, laser hair reduction, chemical peels and botox injections, just to name a few. Alondra has been able to ask questions during the procedures and Megan is always willing to share her knowledge and expertise with her. After graduation, Alondra plans on attending Rose State College to begin the nursing track and then transfer to the University of Oklahoma to finish her degree.
Cameron Griffin, like many other Hennessey students, was born here and has attended HPS since his schooling started. He has been very active the past four years in extracurricular activities. He played four years on the HHS football team and this spring will be playing his fourth season of baseball. Wrestling became an option at HHS last year and he has participated both years in that sport as well. He managed to work a couple of jobs in the last few years. He was a lifeguard at the Vernie Snow Aquatic Center in Kingfisher the spring and summer of his sophomore year. After football season his junior year, he began working at Pizza Hut and continued with that job for almost a year. He now currently works with his father on their ranch. He is also very active in the youth group at the First Baptist Church. With little time between extracurricular activities, school, and work, he had a hard time coming up with his favorite past time, but eventually settled on “hanging out with his friends”.
Cameron is an intern under the director of the HHS Choir Department, Riley Faulkner. He has been a member of the HHS choir all four years. You can look for Cameron in the upcoming musical this year, “The Addams Family”. This will not be his first musical experience. When only in the sixth grade, Cameron was selected to play a part in the musical, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.” A couple of years later he was very excited about participating in the musical, “Newsies”. However, when the production was only two weeks away, it had to be cancelled due to Covid. A big disappointment for Cameron and the whole department. Last year, as a junior, he played the part of the donkey in the musical “Shrek”. It was a big hit for all who attended. Cameron has enjoyed his time as a choir member and enjoys helping out with the department this year as an intern. However, he doesn’t see teaching music in his future. He still has a lot of thinking to do, but
he has mentioned a career in mass communications. This degree would give him a diverse choice of jobs. He isn’t ready to commit to anything fully at this point. When the craziness of high school is over and he moves into the college of his choice, he has stated that he will start thinking seriously about what
career path he will take. After graduation, he plans on attending Oklahoma State University or Northwestern Oklahoma State University.