Kendyl Stutzman, 17, is the daughter of Frank and Jennifer Stutzman.
She is a junior at Sweet Home High School. She is a member of the track and soccer teams, a member of the Key Club and a babysitter.
Stutzman hopes to graduate from high school with an honors diploma, accumulating as many college credits as she can while in high school and then attend Linn-Benton Community College in hopes of becoming a nurse. She would like to intern at Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital.
“I want to become a nurse because I love to take care of people,” Stutzman said. “And the feeling of making a difference in people’s lives every day is an absolute dream of mine.”
She decided to join the Sportsman’s Holiday Court because it is an amazing opportunity to give back, Stutzman said. “Sportsman’s Holiday Court brings so many amazing opportunities to be a role model and to give back to the community. It is a well-regulated program that gets you involved in town activities and is always so much fun to associate yourself with new people who have done great things and are successful.”
Asked how her best friend would describe her, she said, “I am a fun and outgoing person, who is very caring and respectful to others.
“Kendyl is always willing to help others in any way that she can and loves to make a difference. Her laugh is very contagious and overall., she is a very fun person to be around.
“She loves her deer-headed Chihuahua named Cleo very much along with her wonderful and supportive friends and family.”
Stutzman’s favorite thing about Sweet Home is that it is such a tight-knit community, she said. “Sweet Home is a little town that may not seem like much, but when we come together over tragedy or joy, we become mighty. We may not stand out as wealthy or even that successful, but everyone is like family to one another.
“The community comes together to mourn over a loss or rejoice over an achievement despite any conflicts that we may have with each other. Either way, I’m proud to call this place home an to be a part of all the community activities because to take part in helping each other out in the community is the greatest feeling in the world.”
In keeping with the Sportsman’s Holiday theme, “Around the World,” Stutzman said that if she could travel anywhere, she would go to Scotland.
“Scotland is the definition of beauty,” she said. “Every which way you turn there is tradition and history with every building you pass. Everyone you see is welcoming, castles that make you dream and take you back to your childhood of wishing to be a princess.
“Scotland is the perfect place to travel if you wanted peace and beauty and a story to tell everywhere you go.”