Lanie Mousel is the daughter of Monte and Crystal Mousel. She has four siblings: Ava, Harper, Briggs, and Shaw. Her favorite family activity is taking their annual family trip to Okoboji each summer. The thing she admires the most about her family is the support they show each other and how close they all are. Lanie admires her mom the most. She says, “She is always there for us and keeps us in line. I admire the way she still knows how to have fun, even if she is my mom.” If Lanie had one wish it would be to make her parents live forever. Her family is the one thing that she could not live without.
A necklace from her mom is one of Lanie’s most valued possessions. In her free time, she likes to go shopping, hang out with friends, and watch Netflix. If Lanie could travel to one place in the entire world, she would travel to Maui, Hawaii because it is her dream vacation. She loves the warm weather and beach life. In 10 years, she sees herself working in a hospital in Sioux Falls as a nurse. Three things that Lanie wants to accomplish in her lifetime are to take a trip to Maui, Hawaii, become a nurse, and become a mom.
Lanie has kept herself extremely busy while in school! She has been involved in volleyball, basketball, track, and FCA for four years. She has been in softball for two years and National Honor Society for three years. The extracurricular activity that she enjoyed the most through school was volleyball. She says, “I love my team and the memories we made over the season. There were a lot of laughs during practice, but we still knew when to focus and work on our skills.” The most valuable lesson that Lanie has learned from a coach is how to be mentally tough. Mrs. Dockter has been one of her favorite teachers throughout school. Anatomy and Physiology are Lanie’s favorite classes. She enjoyed learning about the human body and how it works. Her favorite memory from PK-11th grade was the last day of school field trips in elementary school. Her favorite memory of her senior year is Homecoming Week. “I’ll never forget the water bucket challenge game that resulted in a water fight with the whole high school.”
Balancing sports and schoolwork has been the most challenging part of Lanie’s senior year. If she could do one thing differently in her high school career, she said she would have gone out for choir. After she graduates, she will miss her classmates who she has grown up with since Kindergarten and she will miss living with her siblings and parents. Her advice to underclassmen is to be involved in as many clubs and sports as you can.
Lanie will be attending the University of South Dakota and majoring in nursing.