March 13, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Upcoming SJO graduate Lewis ‘excited’ to take next step at University of Kentucky

Hannah Lewis always wanted to go to college out of state.


She traveled to Alabama and Florida trying to find the perfect fit.


She found it four and a half hours away from St. Joseph, in Lexington, Ky.


“After visiting six other universities, I knew that I loved the campus and the opportunities that the University of Kentucky had to offer,” Lewis said.


Lewis will be majoring in Human-Health Sciences, which is pre-medical studies.


Lewis said after visiting a number of campuses, it was easy to decide which ones to apply to. The tough part of actually choosing which one she would attend came later.


Lewis was accepted to all of her favorite universities.


“I really had to decide what school I would be happiest at,” she said. “The University of Kentucky had everything I was looking for.”


The University of Kentucky was the first school that Lewis applied to. However, other schools sent her acceptance letters in a more timely fashion.


“I got anxious,” Lewis said.


She took matters into her own hands, went online to check her application status and was relieved to see a big, blue “congratulations” appear on the screen.


“I yelled for my parents and texted my friends about the news,” Lewis said. “I was very excited.”


Lewis said her parents were happy she decided to attend the University of Kentucky and even happier it was relatively close to St. Joseph.


“They are also excited for me to take the next step in my life,” Lewis said. “They were proud that I decided to leave the area for college, too.”


Despite looking to the future, Lewis is also taking a moment to reflect on her time at St. Joseph-Ogden High School.


She said she will miss the amazing community she grew up in and her favorite teachers at SJO. 


From being a stat girl for the football team, taking part in the We the People competition and playing softball, Lewis has numerous great memories from her time as a Spartan.


“My favorite memory from SJO would have to be being a stat girl for the football team,” she said. “I loved the atmosphere and getting to be on the sidelines to watch my favorite sport was unforgettable.”


Lewis said SJO has taught her to take advantage of all the opportunities presented to you.


“Even if it may be a little out of your comfort zone,” she said, “it will be worth it in the end.”


Lewis, who will be speaking at graduation on Sunday afternoon, said she is looking forward to seeing all her classmates and teachers in one place for the last time.


“It will be sad,” she said, “but exciting at the same time.”

in People
Banner
Related Posts

Novak hopes butterfly garden benefits community

October 14, 2019

October 14, 2019

Heidi Novak isn’t a gardner. However, that didn’t stop the 2019 St. Joseph-Ogden High School graduate from creating a butterfly...

Comfort Quilters honor veterans

August 8, 2019

August 8, 2019

In June, 14 veterans were awarded comfort quilts. Two more could be awarded tonight at the St. Joseph Festival by...

Athletic complex to be dedicated tonight

April 16, 2021

April 16, 2021

 The St. Joseph-Ogden School District will honor Glenn Fisher tonight.The district voted in June 2020 to name the athletic complex...

10 Things You Don’t Know about me Nikki Setterdahl

December 8, 2020

December 8, 2020

For years, Nikki Setterdahl and her daughter Whitney have been bringing joy to teens at Barnes-Jewish Hospital through their project...

St. Joseph rallies to find missing dog

September 17, 2020

September 17, 2020

Operation bring Piper home is in full effect in St. Joseph. Piper, a yellow labrador retriever, went missing from the...

Get to know Senior SJO Marching Band member Allegra Pearman

October 21, 2022

October 21, 2022

My favorite thing about marching band is the very end of the show when the dust settles and the cheering...

Grindley keeps positive attitude during pandemic

May 26, 2020

May 26, 2020

During the COVID-19 pandemic that we are all experiencing, it’s just not high school athletes that are being affected. Lucas...

Senior Spotlight… Hannah Rajlich

June 18, 2019

June 18, 2019

Every week we ask an SJO senior five questions. This week we talked to Hannah Rajlich. This post is sponsored...

10 things you don’t know about me… Jason Retz

November 7, 2019

November 7, 2019

In honor of SJO Cross Country going to state this week we asked head coach Jason Retz to tell us...

‘We lost a very good man in Jim Cotter’

September 2, 2021

September 2, 2021

Jim Cotter loved to brag about his kids. This past Saturday was no exception. Cotter took time out from covering...

Kids Say….What does farmer do?

January 6, 2020

January 6, 2020

We asked students from St. Joseph Grade School what they think a farmer does each day. Here are their answers....

10 things you don’t know about me… Jennifer Wayland

April 24, 2019

April 24, 2019

Jennifer Wayland is the owner of the Island Travel Group. She is also co-chairing the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce...

Kids say… St. Joseph Second Grade

March 14, 2019

March 14, 2019

Every week we ask five students from a local school to answer a question on a worksheet. This week the...

5 things you don’t know about me…. Carter Clark

August 8, 2019

August 8, 2019

Carter is in the running for the title of Little Prince! He is six years old. We asked him to...

Comments
Leave a Reply