Spotlight on Heights High Graduates: Wael ElHalaby

Wael AlHalaby

Wael ElHalaby
Oxford ’01
Monticello ’04
Heights High ’08
Junior at Kent State University

What’s your major?
I am majoring in nursing with a minor in music.

What do you hope to do in the future?
I see myself running a business, working a steady job, being a personal trainer, maintaining a great family and making time to play my violin for gigs here and there.

Do you have a favorite memory or two from elementary school?
I remember a really fun field day with competitions against other schools.  I took first in the running competition.

What did you learn at Heights High that prepared you for college?
I learned how to prevail in a stressful environment with a hectic work load. Between AP classes, music and sports, my life was busy. But those long hours set me up to handle a busy college schedule.

What did you enjoy most at Heights?
I enjoyed the out-of-state trips I went on with orchestra and singers. Running track was amazing. I didn’t start running until my 10th grade year and I became Heights’ fastest sprinter. My greatest memory of all was when I starred as the fiddler in Fiddler On The Roof in 2007.

What advice would you give current Heights High students?
Don’t be ashamed that you are different. People want to see uniqueness. I learned how to stand out in an already diverse environment by just accepting my true self, flaws and all and just letting it shine. I played violin, ran track, sang, graduated with a 3.86, took care of my sister because my mother was always gone, and still had time to maintain a steady girlfriend for four years. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Believe that you can do it and it will happen.