Adonijah believes his family has helped him learn to work hard, “My family has taught me to work hard in every area of my life. They let me choose what I dedicate my time to, so long as I do it to the best of my ability. They support me in these things by showing up to events, or helping me when they can. In addition to emotional support, I’m forever grateful that they’ve given me financial support in my education, and just plain old fun.”

When it comes to activities outside of school Adonijah said this, “Outside of school I’m involved in our church’s worship team, playing guitar. I enjoy doing this both because I get to play guitar with other skilled people, but also because I get to develop relationships with other people while also sharing my faith. This has also given me opportunities like the worship team I got to be a part of through Minnesota AIM (Ambassadors in Mission). That trip in particular was one of the most important and memorable experiences I’ve ever had.”

In school Adonijah has a few activities that he’s been really involved, “I mainly participate in our CTE club, Business Professionals of America (BPA). BPA gave me an excuse to both buy and wear a suit, at least it started that way. But, as my life started to point more towards business related activities, it became vital to my business education. It also gave me an opportunity to develop my leadership skills.”

When Adonijah looks at what his favorite class has been during his high school career, he says art would be his pick, “Though I’m not super great at it, every art class I’ve taken has been among my favorite classes. Creating things of value (whether it be personal or for others) is one of the most important aspects of my life, and art class has given me a way to do that. Right now, ceramics is my favorite in particular, clay is an easy medium to work with because you can shape it into exactly what you see in your mind. Art would benefit others by giving them an outlet for creativity and expression, and an opportunity to do what they want, solving problems on their own.”

As for his favorite teachers at Royalton, it’s not an easy pick for Adonijah, “This is a difficult question to answer because all of my teachers have shaped both my educational experience and my life. Mr. Silbernick was one of my favorite teachers because he approached teaching with such passion and genuine interest in his students. Though it was frustrating, he encouraged my class to solve problems on their own, with all of their effort, so that they might learn even more in the process. Whenever I get the opportunity to help someone understand something, this is the exact same approach I take because of how important it was for me in math. Other teachers like Mr. Koenig and Mrs. Tordsen both helped me foster my creativity, but were also sincere and dedicated to teaching me.”

Adonijah’s favorite memories of high school have come during Royal Hour, “My favorite memory of high school is getting to hang out with my friends in the band practice rooms during Royal Hour (Study Hall). Especially before half of my friends graduated, this was the best place to get zero work done and have conversations about nothing in particular, and that was the best part, it was just enjoying each other's company and sharing in lots of laughs.”

As for Adonijah’s favorite activity at high school, it came in BPA, “Getting to go to the national competition for BPA was one of my favorite events in high school. Once I had finally sorted out the funding for the trip to California, we got to hang out in the sun while the rest of my peers were still dealing with the cold in Minnesota. The actual competition part was horrific. I had a headache the whole way through the accounting test I did from staring at the screen so hard. Getting to stand on the podium for 3rd place in a national competition was surreal though. In my mind it took a while to register my accomplishment, because I only saw it as winning one competition, and I didn’t see all of the other people that didn’t even qualify.”

When asked what his post high school plans were, Adonijah says he plans to head south to the great state of Iowa, “After high school I plan to move to Iowa with my dad and start a career in real estate. The main thing I want to do is get into real estate investing. After getting to meet one of the Quad Cities real estate moguls, he inspired me to pursue a life in real estate. I plan to also get licensed and become an agent. In addition, I plan to scale and eventually sell my pressure washing business.”

In ten years, this is where Adonijah sees himself, “In 10 years, I want to create my own personal economy. By personal economy I mean I want to be bringing real value to the people I’ve surrounded myself with, both by providing them with jobs, but also opportunities to do the very same things that I’m doing. It is also vitally important to me that I build generational wealth for those that come after me.”

Lastly Adonijah’s advice to freshman was, “I want to give freshmen the same advice my parents gave me, whatever you choose to do, do it with everything you have. Respect your elders, but also your peers. Studying to remember things is great, but truly learning things is the most important thing. The one thing people can’t take away from you is your education, you’ll still have it even if you hit rock bottom. Finally, take high school seriously, but not too seriously, remember that you're still a kid and will be an adult for the rest of your life.”