(TUALATIN) — Kayla Vo learned long ago the importance of stepping outside her comfort zone to achieve bigger things in her life.

When the Tualatin High School senior began her freshman year, the COVID-19 pandemic was still raging. Vo discovered that, even though she lived closer to Tigard High School, the school boundaries were designed to ensure she would attend Tualatin High School instead. That meant the majority of her middle school friends would end up attending Tigard High.

Still, those changes provided a fresh start for her. Before long, she became involved in a variety of activities, including joining the Tualatin High Associated Student Body, more commonly referred to as ASB, where she now serves as president.

“I love it. It’s like one of my biggest passions,” Vo said of student government. “I think because of ASB that’s why I branched off into volunteering and doing other extracurriculars. That’s been at my core, like the reason I want to do some leadership things.”

While much of the extensive work undertaken by Vo and other student leaders occurs at the beginning of the year, they are still busy planning assemblies and prom.

This year, Vo also became more involved with helping out with the Tualatin Food Pantry, noting that during Thanksgiving, her most vivid memory was of the smiles on the faces of those who received not only a turkey but also food packages.

“It was everything that can make you feel at home during the holiday,” she said of the food included.

Vo has also been active over the years as editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, The Wolf, for the last three years, sharing duties this year with fellow editor-in-chief Samantha Dunn.

What she likes about working on the newspaper is the creative freedom it provides, which she credits her publication with producing “lots of local news” as well.

“We release six to seven newspaper issues throughout the year so it’s kind of a quick timeframe. This year we’re working with less people, but we’re making it. We’re managing,” Vo said, pointing out that The Wolf is one of the very few high school newspapers in Oregon to still print a paper instead of solely being online. In 2024, the Oregon Journalism Education Association named The Wolf “Best in Show” in the large newspaper category.

What has also kept Vo involved at Tualatin High School during her tenure is her membership in Future Business Leaders of America, where she currently serves as co-president. Recently, she attended the FBLA state competition, where she qualified for the national competition.

In the past, she has volunteered to read to Tualatin Elementary students as part of an ASB Key Club event, where she has served as club president. Although she was part of advanced reading classes during her elementary school days and has always been passionate about public speaking, she calls reading to young students “scarier than any crowd.”

This summer, Vo will have an internship with the Oregon Business Academy, where she expects to learn about marketing and finance. Last summer, she attended the Oregon Business Academy Summer Camp. Her takeaway was that while financing isn’t her strong suit, marketing is. One of the camp’s activities included learning to run an existing business, as well as learning how to start a business from scratch.

After high school, Vo hopes to attend either the University of Oregon or the University of Michigan, where she plans to pursue a double major in marketing and another field of business, which she has yet to decide on. That could result in a job in something she enjoys, such as sales and advertising. Ideally, she would like to stay in Oregon.

“All my family is here and I love my family. They’re the reason I’ve gotten to the places I’ve gone, so staying in Oregon is definitely important to me,” she said.