long every road to success stands a parent, coach or teacher with words of wisdom and encouragement to supply support and guidance when the journey begins to be tiresome, frustrating or, at times, seemingly unending. While five of the area’s top Minnetonka High School (MHS) seniors excel in areas like sports, arts and academics, each of them has benefitted from the perspective of a mentor. Knowledge—and advice—is power, and the success of these teens has only been enhanced by the words of an elder, guiding them in how to best navigate the proverbial bumps in the road. Read on to see how they do it all.
Austin Haag: (Deephaven)
These three words carry a lot of power for Austin Haag. He credits his parents, Allan and Maia, and sailing coach Gordy Bowers, with instilling in him the ability to maintain focus and manage time by participating in activities for which he has a true passion. “That made it a lot easier to find time to do everything,” the 17-year-old says.
Austin has a full plate of academics (AP and IB courses) and activities, and it’s clear he’s learned to parcel his time with successful results. The MHS Honor Society and National Honor Society member is also an AP scholar. Add to that that he was part of a three-person team that won the MHS’ business program VANTAGE Shark Tank competition, presenting myschoolsitter.com, a local babysitter database organized by school district.
Also through VANTAGE, Austin worked on a case study to develop a physical therapy super clinic 3D architectural design concept with Fairview Health Services and its Institute of Athletic Medicine. He also helped design Habitat for Humanity’s State Fair booth, raising more than $1,200 for the project, which will assist the organization in reaching out to veterans.
If those accomplishments weren’t enough, Austin also developed the online community Emerald World, a platform for teenagers and young adults under 30 to play video games, which reaches about 19,000 people worldwide. His business partners hailed from England and Australia, and his role included managing finances, staffing and advertising. Given the site’s success, it’s no wonder that, through his high placement in the DECA Business Club district and state competitions, Austin moved onto the international event in spring 2015.
His latest passion is Model United Nations, an experiential learning program that provides a forum for educational groups to address global concerns. He co-founded MHS’s chapter, and more than 50 students participate at a time.
With Princeton University as his first pick, Austin is also interested in attending Cornell University, the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania. His search priorities include midsize schools with architecture or business programs.
Sarah Johnson: (Minnetonka)
“I’ve had a lot of teachers and coaches who encouraged me to work hard,” Sarah says. In her mind, there is one person who stands out: a teacher who left her with words that transformed her way of thinking. She points to Carlee Kocon, who taught Sarah at Deephaven’s St. Therese Catholic School.
“She would always tell me a quote from Winnie the Pooh,” Sarah says, referring to A.A. Milne’s children’s book series. Kocon would remind Sarah, “‘You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.’” “It always helped me feel empowered during the tough times,” the 17-year-old says.
With a 4.2-plus grade point average, Sarah is an Academic All-Star and an IB diploma candidate, taking the most challenging courses at MHS, including AP (freshman and sophomore years) and IB classes. While she enjoys her studies, she’s discovered a special interest in her drawing and Spanish classes.
When she’s not working at a senior living facility, her activities include private dance lessons, dancing with the MHS dance team, performing in school drama/musical productions, participating in the Spanish Club and Model United Nations, and playing in her church’s hand-bell choir. During her senior year, she’ll also serve as a MHS First Mate, mentoring freshmen students as they begin high school.
Sarah’s college search includes Concordia College in Moorhead, Illinois Wesleyan University and Luther College in Iowa, and she intends to study nursing and Spanish, and participate in overseas mission trips.
Suad Suljic: (Excelsior)
Suad’s parents, Safet and Sanela Suljic, helped set Suad’s successful course by simply setting the table. “My parents always told me to do my schoolwork, then go do soccer,” he says. “I’ve always said homework is my dinner, and soccer is my dessert. They impacted me the most.”
In order to balance his school-soccer menu, Suad often asks his teachers to lay out the entire week for him, so he can work ahead of schedule if he knows that a heavy dose of soccer is on tap. This way, he says, he can keep on top of his academics and provide ample focus and performance at his soccer matches.
He began playing soccer at an early age with his father. “My dad always used to take me to a field when I was 3,” the 17-year-old says. “I wouldn’t be here without him, for sure. I’m glad I didn’t choose a different path.”
Practices or workouts find their way into almost every day of Suad’s week. In addition to playing on the MHS soccer team, Suad plays club soccer, and that team practices five days a week. “If I don’t feel satisfied, I’ll work out another day,” he says. “I’m never satisfied. I always feel I can improve in all my skills.”
His skill and dedication haven’t just been for self-improvement: In 2014, Suad was named All-American in boys’ soccer, was named the Minneapolis Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year and received the award for Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year for boys’ soccer—and these are only a handful of the accolades he’s received.
Through balancing soccer and school, Suad has developed leadership skills that he’s since taken from the field and into high school, serving as a MHS First Mate and mentoring the school’s freshmen.
As he continues through the athletic recruitment process, Suad’s top picks include the University of Notre Dame, the University of California-Los Angeles, the University of North Carolina and the University of St. Louis. He intends to study sports marketing.
Presley Norby: (Shorewood)
Most students have been in a place where either illness or other commitments have taken them away from school for a while. Missed assignments, quizzes and tests pile on them like blankets.
Presley found herself in that spot after missing a few classes for a hockey tournament, but was encouraged by the MHS girls’ hockey coach, Eric Johnson, who told her, “As long as you are trying your best, it will all work out,” adding that if she took care of her academics first, then she’d perform better on the ice. She heeded his advice, and has since landed back on top of her schoolwork and made the honor roll.
But academics aren’t her first passion: Since she was 6 years old, Presley has been in love with hockey. “I love the team aspect of it,” the 17-year-old says. There’s another upshot to playing the sport, she says. “The feeling of scoring a goal is like no other.”
The hockey phenom has received plenty of notice for her work on the ice. Presley was a member of the U.S. Women’s National Under-18 Team, participated in the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation under-18 women’s world championship (where they won gold) and the 2014 Under-18 Series against Canada (where they took second place), and was a 2014 Women’s National Festival invitee. She was also a member of the 2012-13 Minnesota High School AA state championship MHS team, which allowed her to be named All-Conference team captain and be part of the All-State team.
Other activities Presley participates in include volunteering with Feed My Starving Children and Skate with the Skippers, and co-coaching an under-10 spring hockey league. “The struggle is to have enough time to get everything done,” she says. “Prioritizing is such a big part of it.”
Presley has committed to playing hockey with the University of Wisconsin, where she hopes to study kinesiology or business.
Scottie Nicole Schwefel: (Shorewood)
Arriving home most nights around 10 p.m., Scottie has little time to rest and recharge. She’s up again at 5 a.m., ready for a full circuit the classroom and turns on the stage. Enter stage left: Scottie’s parents, Scott and Linda Schwefel, who advised her to prioritize her activities day by day. “I need to know every day what I need to focus on,” the 17-year-old says. To that end, she writes a daily “script,” or list of how her day will unfold.
Her penchant for the stage began when she was 6 years old and landed the role of Bielka in Fiddler on the Roof. “I just fell in love with performing,” she says. Since then, her career has taken an exciting turn. Scottie has performed in 20 productions with MHS and Minnetonka Community Theatre, including award-wining leading roles as Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden (her favorite to date; “It was a surprise,” she says. “It was thrilling, and everything was new”) during her freshman year and Urinetown her junior year. She’s also been honored twice by the Spotlight Theatre Awards (a Hennepin Theater Trust award) for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Production and was one of five featured artists selected for a Minnesota Public Radio award.
Scottie has performed with Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, Children’s Theatre Co., the Old Log Theatre, Stages Theatre Co., Youth Performance Co. and Scotland’s Fringe Festival. Along with television and radio commercials, Scottie performed in the ABC’s miniseries In an Instant, which aired this past winter.
In addition to her acting career, Scottie was selected for the Minnesota State Honor Choir, is a member of the National Honor Society and earned six superior ratings at the Minnesota State Solo/Ensemble Contest.
Scottie is interested in studying theater and business at Columbia College Chicago, Boston University, New York University or Northwestern University. She hopes to one day be a performer.
