Meet 10 Graduates From Leelanau County's Class Of 2025

Some are outstanding athletes and some are talented artists. Some are planning to become engineers, while others are eyeing careers in everything from teaching to marine biology. Never mind the fact that Leelanau County’s school communities are small compared to the neighboring Traverse City; this county produces graduates with an impressively diverse array of talents and aspirations. In celebration of recent commencement ceremonies for Leelanau’s high schools, the Leelanau Ticker spotlights 10 graduates who made their mark.

Raja Arnold-Timberman, Glen Lake
Profile: In the midst of a busy schedule of Advanced Placement (AP) courses, Arnold-Timberman found time to embrace the visual arts, pursuing everything from painting to collage art to cartoon drawing to calligraphy. She’s even sold her work, including at school auctions and online, though she says most of her pieces go to good friends as gifts.
Plans: Arnold-Timberman plans on taking a few art courses at NMC this summer, and to continue those studies on an elective basis in the fall when she heads off to Central Michigan University. Her ultimate dream is to someday become a tattoo artist. In the meantime, though, she’ll keep her options open by majoring in accounting. “I believe that it's more of a realistic goal, and I want to put a career before something that might not be as lucrative – at least in the beginning,” she says.
Highlight: “My senior class went on a trip to New York City for four days, and it was amazing,” Arnold-Timberman says. “It gave us an opportunity to really get to know each other and spend time with each other outside of academics and sports.” Highlights included seeing The Outsiders on Broadway (“I’d never been to a musical or a live action theater show, and I really loved it”) and visiting the 9/11 Memorial (“That was really moving”).

Katie Frank, Northport
Profile: Frank was a standout arts student at Northport, participating in the school’s National Art Honor Society and even winning student-of-the-quarter honors for her graphic arts program at the Career-Tech Center. While that program primarily focuses on computer graphic design, Frank worked an independent study path this past year, studying the photography of famed portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz. “That was really interesting,” Frank says of her photography studies. “I shot so many photos and got together with so many different people. It definitely got me outside of my comfort zone.”
Plans: Right now, Frank is split on whether to pursue photography as a career or go for psychology instead. Frank credits her interest in psychology to Northport School Counselor Erin Scholten, who she says has “been an incredible light throughout my high school career.” Regardless of which option she chooses, Frank plans to attend NMC for two years to work through general education credits, then transfer to a four-year university.
Highlight: “I'll remember all the support I got from the teachers,” Frank says. “I know that doesn't get said much, but I really think they helped me become the person I am, and just helped me get through high school. When I couldn't really find my friend group, my teachers were the ones helping me put my voice out and get heard.”

Jacqueline Hearne, Lake Leelanau St. Mary
Profile: 14 of the 15 St. Mary grads this year – Hearne included – have been at the school for 14 years, ever since preschool. (The 15th joined in kindergarten.) “It’s kind of like we’re siblings,” Hearne says. “We see each other more than we see our families.” Beyond day-to-day classes, some of Hearne’s experiences with those classmates included four sports (cross country, volleyball, skiing, and soccer); Teens for Life, the school’s pro-life student organization; and Business Professionals of America (BPA). This past year, Hearne’s BPA team even won a national title in the podcasting category.
Plans: Hearne will enroll at Hillsdale College in the fall. “I'm not 100% sure what I'm going to do [for a major], but like I'm thinking either biochemistry and then going on to a nutritional program; or doing English and then going on to teach,” she says.
Highlight: A new homecoming tradition at St. Mary involves a week of games and activities, where the entire student body gets broken up into teams. The twist is that every team is made up of one student from each grade, from kindergarteners to seniors. As the senior on her team this year, Hearne was de-facto captain, an experience she found invigorating and rewarding. “It was a great way of getting to know the younger kids at the school,” she says.

Alan Heckl, Northport
Profile: A four-year member of National Art Honor Society and a player on Northport’s JV boys basketball team, Heckl placed most of his focus during the latter two years of high school on his studies at the Career-Tech Center’s automotive technology program. “I’ve always been interested in working with my hands and working on cars,” he says. That passion, which started out with car-related projects that Heckl undertook with his dad growing up, has evolved into a legitimate skill he hopes will be the backbone to his future career. “I’m already working on my own vehicles and helping friends, and I’m looking for other job opportunities in the automotive field,” he shares.
Plans: Heckl will enroll at NMC to take on the college’s two-year associate’s degree program in automotive technology. From there, he’ll be on the lookout for apprenticeships and/or trade school opportunities, with hopes of one day opening his own automotive garage.
Highlight: A few years ago, as part of the National Art Honor Society, Heckl got to take a trip to New York City and it opened up his worldview. “That was our first big trip, and it was a such a cool experience,” he says. “We spent four days there, and got to go see all the different sites around New York. I think my favorite part was when we went to the Met and MOMA museums.”

Brady Keen, Leland
Profile: Keen’s academic pursuits took him beyond the walls of Leland Public School, including to the Career-Tech Center (where he earned student-of-the-quarter honors as part of the engineering academy,) to Northwestern Michigan College (where he dual-enrolled and landed on the Dean’s List). He was also a three-sport athlete, serving as captain of the varsity boys basketball team his senior year and also competing as part of the track and cross country teams.
Plans: It’s green and white for Keen, who will follow his Career-Tech Center excellence to Michigan State University to pursue a major in mechanical engineering.
Highlight: Keen is particularly proud of captaining the basketball team to an appearance in the district finals this season. “We were not the most successful team over my high school career, at least when it comes to wins, but making it to the district finals was a great way to end my senior year, and something I will cherish,” he says.

Alyssa Korson, Leland
Profile: Wrapping high school with a cumulative GPA of 3.885, Korson was one of the academic stars of Leland High School. She was part of the school’s National Honor Society (NHS) and National Art Honor Society, and made academic all-state teams for both golf and basketball. Korson was also a student council member, serving as secretary of Leland’s senior class, as well as the president of the school’s Youth Advisory Committee for School Wellness. Beyond golf and basketball, Korson’s high school career saw her participate in several other sports, including track and field, soccer, and volleyball.
Plans: Korson is eyeing a career in architectural engineering, which she will study starting this fall at the University of Detroit Mercy.
Highlight: “I will forever cherish my experiences with high school sports, particularly from my senior year,” Korson tells The Ticker. “This year I was able to step up during my sports seasons and be a leader for the underclassmen, and it touches my heart that they looked up to me. This pushed me to be a better role model, and I will definitely miss bonding with those younger students. It made me a more well-rounded person.”

Keaton LaCross, Glen Lake
Profile: A three-sport athlete throughout high school (quarterback for the Glen Lake football team, as well as positions on the basketball and baseball squads), LaCross’s decision to add golf to his plate senior year seems to indicate he had some extra time on his hands. He didn’t. This busy high schooler’s crowded schedule also included six AP courses, involvement in Glen Lake’s NHS, and membership with clubs like Big Pals (a mentorship program that pairs older students with younger ones) and Tommy’s First Mates (a student-led mental health organization created in honor of Glen Lake student Tommy Meay, who took his own life in 2021).
Plans: LaCross is headed to MSU to major in mechanical engineering. While he’s long been a math whiz, LaCross says taking an intro to CAD (computer-aided design) this year was what ultimately pointed him in the direction of engineering. “It really solidified my decision,” he says.
Highlight: This past fall, LaCross captained the Glen Lake football team to their first playoff win since the 2020 season, and the first since he’s been in high school. “That was really, really special,” he tells The Ticker of the Lakers’ 35-0 playoff triumph against Mancelona.

Annabelle Macdonald, Suttons Bay
Profile: Part of Suttons Bay High School’s student leadership team and the vice-president of the school’s NHS, Macdonald was also a dedicated student of the Career-Tech Center’s Teacher Academy. Rather than going offsite for her in-classroom teaching experiences, Macdonald chose to say at Suttons Bay, which meant teaching elementary and middle school students within her own district.
Plans: Macdonald hit upon teaching as her destined career path on the first day of ninth grade. “My history teacher, on the very first day, the first thing he said to the class was, ‘If you have a fear of public speaking, teaching is the right job for you,’” she tells The Ticker. As someone with precisely that type of fear, Macdonald says the words stuck with her, leading her to the Teacher Academy. Macdonald will follow the education path to Northern Michigan University, where she’ll get her bachelor’s in education with a focus in English. Her intention is to one day teach middle school and high school students.
Highlight: “I was scared to go for the NHS vice president position, because I did not think that I was going to be able to get it,” Macdonald says. “But then I did, and that was just the greatest feeling.”

Grayson Opie, Suttons Bay
Profile: A leader on the football field, the basketball court, and in his school, Opie was perhaps best-known as Suttons Bay’s varsity quarterback, as well as captain for the football and basketball teams. But he also managed a 3.74 cumulative GPA, earned 21 college credits, participated in NHS, and served on the Leelanau Youth Advisory Council. Now, he’s making a name for himself as co-owner of a brand-new business, called Lakeside Mobile Detailing. That Lake Leelanau-based car detailing company, which Opie launched just last month with his brother Brayden, is giving the brothers a chance to learn about business, entrepreneurship, and customer relationships. “I think it will really do me good in the future,” Opie says.
Plans: We’ve got another Spartan, folks. Opie is headed to MSU in the fall, where he’ll be studying kinesiology. “I’m trying to stay in the active side of professions, and hoping to become a physician assistant in orthopedic surgery one day,” he says.
Highlight: It’s his experiences in sports that Opie will carry with him for life – particularly the friendships he built with teammates. “It's a different kind of relationship than just having a friend,” he says of the teammate bond. “You really do become like brothers.”

Mark Porter, The Leelanau School
Profile: Porter was born and raised in the United Kingdom – “I can still turn my English accent on and off,” he laughs – but his family moved to Indiana when he was eight years old. A miserable junior high experience got Porter’s parents looking for other options, which led to The Leelanau School. Fast-forward to now, and Porter is the school’s 2025 valedictorian. “It's really special to me to be able to say that I'm valedictorian, because four years ago, my parents weren't even sure I'd be able to go to college; my grades were that bad,” he says. “I was really struggling with my mental helath, and I didn't know what I was doing with my life. The Leelanau School helped me realize I am actually a smart, capable young adult, and not just a person who is defined by their being bad at school.”
Plans: Porter plans to start his post-high-school studies at Harper College, a community college in Palantine, Illinois. He currently intends to get his paramedic certificate there, then enroll at a four-year school en route to becoming an emergency medical doctor. But Porter, who is a scuba-certified marine biology enthusiast, says he’s also leaving the door open to that career path.
Highlight: “I was not expecting to enjoy high school as much as I did,” Porter says. “I had to grow up. I had to learn a lot of new things. But I got to do it all with my friends living right next to me. And that was that was really a great experience.”