The Garden City Telegram
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Greeley County — Brian Hampel
Published 5/23/2009 in Youth In Excellence
Now that he's graduated from Greeley County High School, Brian Hampel has some advice for the younger students who will be the next to walk the school's halls:
"Pursue your own interests, regardless of peer pressure, with all the energy and effort you can muster," was the advice Hampel left for incoming freshmen in a questionnaire he submitted to The Telegram. "A strong sense of self will be invaluable to you."
Hampel, who has attended Greeley County schools for 10 years after moving from Pratt, is walking proof.
Other than being a 4.0 student, his honors include being a Kansas Governor's Scholar, a Kansas Board of Regents State Scholar and a National Merit Commended Student. He was recognized as an Outstanding Senior in Math and Science by Kansas State University and as a Kansas Honors Scholar by the University of Kansas. He is class co-valedictorian.
When it came to pursuing his own interests, Hampel went in a lot of different directions. He was involved in Scholars' Bowl, forensics and drama, Science Olympiad, Model United Nations, band, pep band, honors band, National Honor Society, and Students Against Destructive Decisions.
"I can pick out two distinctly memorable moments of high school: Scholar's Bowl state championships in my freshman and senior years," Hampel said. "The championship from this year has more personal value to me, though, because I participated as a key team leader and didn't have to rely on upperclassmen to bear the bulk of the burden."
Hampel enjoys martial arts, board games, computers, classic film, art, math, science, dystopian fiction, chess and politics.
But his love of music stands out.
"Music is my foremost hobby. I play the clarinet, piano, guitar, bass and ocarina, and I've recently taken up composing and arranging," he said. "I grew up surrounded by music and art, and it has simply become part of me and part of my life."
While his least favorite class was government, considering he is planning on studying architecture at K-State, it's not surprising that independent study courses on architecture and digital art were his favorites.
"Architecture, to me, is a perfect blend of art and science that can simultaneously serve as a technical challenge and a creative outlet," he said. "Green building, a futuristic and energy-efficient style of design, will be my tool for making the world a better place."
As for his words of advice for his fellow graduates, he says, "Don't let your education stop with school. Learning and self-improvement can happen with every facet of our lives, not just the ones that give us tests and grades."
How he lives his life says a great deal about how he'd like to be remembered.
"I think I'll be remembered the way I wish to be: a quirky, absent-minded, quick-witted young lad with a variety of interests in all areas of the spectrum," Hampel said.
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