Brooklyn Harmon is always reminded by her grandmother that she shouldn't talk to strangers.
Harmon does not have many problems following that advice, but the safety tips expanded over the years to include things such as not being on the phone while walking through parking lots. Last year, her grandmother decided to buy Harmon a self-defense keychain.
When online search results found those items selling for $40 or more, Harmon wasn't sold on the idea.
"Oh no," Harmon recalls saying at the time. "We should probably buy them in bulk."
The Paola senior was not trying to be overly cautious. She just felt like it made much more financial sense to buy the supplies necessary to build and sell them locally to make a profit.
"I'm very anxious about things, but I'm a business person," Harmon said. "I haven't seen them around our community. It was just something to get me by, I always have to be busy and making money somehow."
Harmon definitely stays busy, and with activities that either make her money or will likely help her make money in the future, she is the True Blue ® Student of the Week.
She has spent the last two years as the president of her local Future Business Leaders of America chapter while also working as reporter/photographer on the school's journalism staff. This year she got promoted to ad manager for the latter role.
She got her first camera during her freshman year after she applied for the journalism staff. She started with sports photography, taking shots at basketball games before expanding to other types of events. Now, she runs her own photography business that focuses on senior and family portraits. Last week she had her first wedding gig.
"Business is really picking up, so it's been kind of crazy," Harmon said. "I'm still trying to figure everything out with my schedule, but time management has definitely been something I've been picking up pretty fast."
If that was not enough, Harmon is also a member of the National Honor Society and her peers recently voted to be the school's senior class president. Harmon somehow finds a way to fit all of these activities around not only school, but also her volleyball schedule.
Paola volleyball coach Kirby Kenny said that the hectic schedule has never been an issue.
"It's been very clear that she's able to stay on top of everything," Kenny said. "She's been that way since her freshman year when I first met her."
Kenny said one of the most impressive aspects of Harmon's busy schedule is that within those organizations she's always looking for a way to become a leader and make a difference.
"Anything she signs up for, she's going to do it 100%," she said. "She's definitely a type-A person. She's got all of her calendars set and everything, but she never overbooks herself and she's always going to prioritize what needs to get done."
Kenny said that Harmon shows that same dedication on the court, working hard every day to earn playing time. When she's on the bench, she's the team's biggest cheerleader and supporter.
"She's one of those kids that really helps contribute to our amazing chemistry that we have this year. She's a big part of that," Kenny said.
Paola volleyball has started the season with a 14-5 record after winning 14 games all of last season, which was five more wins than the team had in the previous two seasons combined. Harmon has not shown up big in the stat sheets, but she enjoys her role of bringing energy onto the court with her uplifting presence.
"I like to bring something silly (to the court) so that everybody can just relax," Harmon said.
She freely admits that college volleyball is not in her future, which is one of the reasons she's been proactive in so many other activities as her high school career winds down. She's even stepped in as the team photographer, taking portraits for the banners hanging up around the school.
Harmon also took advantage of Paola starting a student internship program this year. Her FBLA advisor helped her secure a spot as a social media intern at Louisburg Cider Mill. She has been able to apply most of the skills she's picked up as a photographer and on the journalism staff.
"It's super fun," Harmon said. "I've been involved with social media since middle school. It's fun to see that as a possible career and it would be awesome to continue that in college."
The business, known as much for its donuts and farm tours as its cider, cultivates a social media aesthetic that blends photography, videos and graphic design that tries to bring the Louisburg facilities to life.
Harmon works directly with marketing director Susan Johnston to plan the posts for the mill's various social media platforms. Harmon spends a lot of her time taking pictures of customers, working up captions and figuring out ways to get people interacting with the posts on Instagram or Facebook.
"When we're posting together, she is very good at walking me through all the steps," Harmon said. "There's a lot of planning that goes on behind the scenes. It's awesome for her to be able to share everything with me and that she trusts me the way that she does."
Harmon is still undecided on where she's going to attend college, but she doesn't plan to stray too far away from home or from the creative business ventures she's taken on during high school. She wants to quickly establish herself in the local business world of whichever school she attends.
"I want to study business, entrepreneurship or marketing," Harmon said. "Maybe minor in photography, but it's definitely the business side of the world that really interests me."
Her volleyball coach knows that Harmon will be ready for any challenges the world may bring. Kenny, who teaches Spanish at Paola, was particularly impressed with Harmon during a school trip to Europe.
Harmon had to break her grandmother's rule about talking to strangers, but she quickly turned those strangers into friends.
"She went and met people from other schools and made friends with them," Kirby said. "I just think that her ability to do that speaks volumes and she's going to be successful far behind high school."
Kirby added: "She is someone that people just enjoy being around. I really couldn't say enough nice things about her."