Erica will be featured on Dakota News Now during the 6:00PM news on Monday, January 16 and again on the Dakota News Now morning news on Tuesday, January 17 between 6:00AM and 7:00AM.
- Scholar
- Erica Peterson
- Date
- January 15, 2022 - January 21, 2022
- School
- Brookings High School
- GPA
- 3.97
- Activities
- Dear Selection Committee: Erica Peterson, a senior at Brookings High School, is a wonderful asset to this school as well as to the community of Brookings. From being an ideal student in her academic work to her drive in extracurricular activities to her strong character, Erica brings a great energy to BHS. As her school counselor, I have had the pleasure of seeing Erica make valuable contributions both in school and out of school. Erica’s intelligence is easily shown by her strong GPA and history of taking challenging courses. She has a strong GPA and has taken a rigorous course load each year including Honors English Courses her entire high school career. She is currently taking AP Composition and Literature. She also is taking advantage of Dual Credit College Courses as well. Her instructors would describe her as an active contributing member of any class, willing to respectfully and enthusiastically assist others and participate in class discussions. While keeping academics a priority, Erica has given of herself in terms of extracurricular activities. Her leadership in the Brookings High School Orchestra has been exemplary. She has led her violin section for the past three years, serving as concertmaster for orchestra rehearsals and being the pit violinist in the high school musical “Mary Poppins. She is an outstanding musician both in and outside of school. I have not encountered a student of her caliber in music in all of my 21 years as a school counselor. She has played the violin since the 4th grade and piano since she was six years old. In the fall of 2019, she fully composed her first original song. She has given her all to her music, yet she is very humble in doing so. Not many people know that she holds this special vocal talent. I am so excited to see what her album release will bring! Erica is active and truly gives of herself to others and does so with enjoyment and impact. What I enjoy the most about Erica is her friendly and kind spirit. She is truly a person of character. She is so kind, and has high energy and positive mood daily. She works exceptionally well as a leader in groups and manages her responsibility to that group. She pays attention to individual needs, has expectations of high achievement and has regard for moral character. In summary, she cares about people. Erica describes herself as “hardworking, respectful and compassionate”. I couldn’t agree more. When asked what motivates her the most, she replies that her family is most motivating to her. “They encourage me to do what is right and follow my dreams every day.” It is not often that you meet a student such as Erica who has strengths in many areas. She is a confident young woman who is intelligent and a hard working student. Erica emulates strong character traits that draw others to her. Erica has goals of attending Belmont University in Nashville, specializing in Commercial Music with an emphasis on Performance or Songwriting. She hopes to release multiple albums successfully, put on a world tour, and perform at/attend the Grammys. Additional Info: Other Awards/Honors: 9th grade: All grade high school boys basketball manager; varsity sport all-academic award recipient; concertmaster for orchestra rehearsals and performances 10th grade: Pit violinist for high school musical, concertmaster for orchestra rehearsals and performances, finish first full song professionally, lettered in varsity orchestra 11th grade: Invitation and acceptance in National Honor Society, Concertmaster for orchestra rehearsals and performances, lettered in varsity orchestra. Community Activities: Taught students in TaeKwonDo class as black belt instructor, helped in the family business office, recording songs with WOLVII studios in Sioux Falls, done vocal performancees for business parties and events. Erica has been writing and producing songs for her first album. She is professionally recording this album which will have 11 tracks, which will be finished the fall of 2021. She loves to write, sing and perform for everyone that she can. In Erica's own words, "I think something that sets me apart from other students is my music and my morals. I have a unique set of songs I have written, and obviously this is personal to me because I am the creator. No one else wrote the songs I wrote. I believe my message and lyrics set me apart. The values that I have learned from my parents and grandparents will be traits I apply to all aspects of my life: respect, leadership and hard work." I have no doubt as her nominator that Erica will accomplish her musical goals. We are proud to have her as a student at Brookings High School.
- Cooperative
- Erica Peterson is from Aurora, SD, located within Sioux Valley Energy, a Touchstone Energy Cooperative.