Student of the Month hopes to be military trauma surgeon

Rylee Honomichl earns award from Heartland and KJAM Radio

Sioux Valley High School (SVHS) senior Rylee Honomichl has ambitious career goals. After high school and undergraduate school, she hopes to move on to medical school to ultimately become a trauma surgeon for the United States Air Force (USAF).

SVHS educators believe Honomichl can achieve her goals, giving credit to her outstanding academics, work ethic and character. For these reasons and more, Honomichl has been named Student of the Month by Heartland Consumers Power District and KJAM Radio.

In nominating her for the award, SVHS staff said Honomichl is “an outstanding, dedicated student who has set the highest goals for herself. She does not deter from challenges, but rather embraces and tackles them.”

Known as the consummate team player, Honomichl participates in several extracurricular activities, including basketball, volleyball, oral interpretation, theater, band, jazz band and visual fine arts. She’s also a member of SVHS Student Council and the National Honor Society.

“She is an outstanding scholar who puts education first, but she’s also extremely humble and does not boast of her many academic and character accolades,” SVHS staff said. “She is happy for anyone who tries their best and is always rooting for the underdog.”

Outside of school, Honomichl participates in her church’s youth group, including attending conference-wide mission trips for the past four years. She’s also taken recreational dance lessons for the past fourteen years.

Honomichl is the daughter of Cheryl and James Honomichl. After high school she plans to study Human Biology at South Dakota State University with a minor in Spanish. Eventually she hopes to attend medical school to become a USAF trauma surgeon with a focus on cardiothoracic or general surgery.

The “Student of the Month” is awarded through a partnership of Heartland and KJAM Radio in Madison and recognizes exceptional students in one of five area school districts. Heartland provides wholesale power to the cities of Arlington, Colman, Howard, Madison and Volga, all of which are in the KJAM listening area.

Each month of the school year, Heartland presents an outstanding student from one of these schools with a recognition certificate and small token, and advertisements announcing the winning student air on KJAM Radio. Officials from each participating school nominate students for the award.

This is the ninth year Heartland and KJAM have teamed up to offer this program.