Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, January 22, 2026. Reprinted with permission and gratitude.
By Gretchen Mensink-Lovejoy
The Spring Valley Kiwanis Club has honored Emily Sargent, daughter of Leah and Greg Sargent, as a recipient of its Academic Excellence Award.
The Kingsland senior is active in HOSA, One Act Play, Drama Club, Knowledge Bowl, golf, and Art Club. “Of them, HOSA is my favorite,” she noted, going on to list that “in the past, I’ve also done Key Club and Game Club.” She attends Post-Secondary Education Options (PSEO) classes while also remaining close to Kingsland. “My favorite subject has to be any subject that is history-based. My least favorite is any class that’s math-based.”
She’s busy enough with school that she doesn’t have a job just yet. “Outside of school, I don’t do many activities besides my hobbies since a lot of my PSEO work takes up a lot of my time. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, baking and doing arts and crafts – painting and making bookmarks from pressed flowers are my favorites. One of my other hobbies is biking on trails during the summer and fall time when it’s warm and dry enough that you can enjoy the colors and scenery in peace.” She added, “My favorite movie is probably ‘Secondhand Lions.’ It’s wholesome and has a lot of great life lessons, in my opinion. My favorite book is probably ‘Les Miserables.’ I am a fan of old classics, and it’s set during a very busy time in history, so it’s just fun to read. I can listen to just about any music, but I prefer indie music, and I could live on crispy chicken sandwiches for the rest of my life but find Spam absolutely gross. My biggest pet peeve is when people throw trash on the ground and don’t pick it up.”
If she were given free airfare to any country in the world, she’d travel to Germany. “If I could go to any country in the world, I would go to Germany. I would want to go to see a lot of the medieval architecture and the World War II historical sites. If I could go to any state, I’d probably go to Hawaii just to see the coastlines.”
The 17-year-old has others in mind as she considered what she’d do if she could change the world. “If I could change one thing about the world, I’d probably change it to make everyone else more understanding and empathetic of other people’s situations. I’d pick that because it would quite literally make a world of difference for everything else. Three people I admire would definitely be my mom and dad. They’ve helped me through everything and made sure I could have the time and means to do things I wanted to do. Another person I admire would be my grandpa because of all of the work he’s done and sacrifices he’s made to get through life.”
She shared her plans after high school and PSEO. “When I graduate, I want to become a medical laboratory scientist and a researcher. I want to because I’ve always wanted to work in the sciences in some shape or form, and I’ve loved lab work the best. When I was a kid, I wanted to be an architect.”
The Kiwanis recognized Emily and her parents at a recent meeting. The club convenes on Wednesdays at noon at the Spring Valley Community Center and welcomes visitors who would like to learn more about the organization’s mission and membership.
Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325
