One minute she’s dancing– pom poms in hand, in perfect sync with a dozen other girls smiling around her– and the next, she’s changed outfits completely?
With a microphone in hand, she’s co-leading the assembly as Student Body Vice President.
Senior Hailey Pimber simply does it all; everyone has seen her face or heard her name, but most recognize her from center stage or on the sidelines at sports games.
She may be widely known for her involvement in pom, dance, and cheer, but few know about her plans post-graduation.
With her talent and academic success, Pimber hopes to attend the United States Naval Academy after graduation, where she plans to major in Aerospace Engineering.
The Academy is a complete four-year program, and from there Pimber will serve a minimum of five years in active duty.
“If I commission I want to do aviation and be a pilot,” said Pimber, “I want to fly fighters… hopefully! It’s super hard, there’s only like a 7% acceptance rate.”
“My brother goes to the Naval Academy as well,” she continued, “so I’ve done my research and there are a lot of benefits.”
Pimber explained that with “everything going on recently,”– referring to the current political state of the country– she wants to play her part and make a difference.
“I really want to help people, and I think I have the resources and knowledge to do that, and I want to do what I can to play my part,” said Pimber.
But just in case the Naval Academy doesn’t work out, Pimber has a back up, having received her acceptance from University of Arizona.
“I’d be majoring in physiology with an emphasis in medical science,” said Pimber, “But that’s only if military doesn’t work out.”
With all this discussion of her future, Pimber also took some time to share with The Viking Views some highlights from her time at Sunnyslope.
“I have super great memories of football games, basketball games… everyone brings such good energy,” Pimber said.
But one of her all time favorite memories was making state in pom her freshman year and getting to cheer for the Boys Basketball team at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
“We got to cheer on the sidelines in this huge arena and it was just super fun,” Pimber explained, “because, you know, I was a freshman and not everyone gets to do that.”
But no matter what she’s doing, Pimber loves to be on stage in front of a crowd.
So although assembly days in particular are pretty stressful, Pimber always manages to make everything run smoothly.
Her involvement with dance as well as StuCo means that she is always front and center, rushing through performances and outfit changes.
“I don’t really think about it, but it’s definitely pretty stressful,” Pimber explained, “I do get really hot and out of breath, but I love being in front of a crowd; the performing aspect is worth it.”
But what responsibilities does she have outside of assembly days where she’s not conducting games and leading dance numbers?
“[As VP] I lead obviously, but I don’t have too many responsibilities, surprisingly,” Pimber said.
“But if something isn’t getting done, I’ll correct it,” Pimber continued, “If things need to be said or if we’re off task I step in, just things like that.”
Although her job isn’t extremely demanding, she is respected and appreciated by many of her peers in StuCo.
“Hailey is a great VP to have,” said Student Body President Noah Hernandez, “We work together on a lot of things and she always is willing to step up. She’s a good leader and StuCo/assemblies wouldn’t be the same without her.”
Regardless of her role in StuCo, Pimber is always trying her best to connect with the people around her, one of the things she misses most about being StuCo’s social media manager last year.
“I miss it, I grieve,” Pimber joked, “I miss making montages and all that for Instagram. It was so fun because I just like to capture everyone in their activities, I love making those connections.”
Pimber’s love for connection with her peers is what motivated her to not only start running cross country–although she unfortunately had to quit due to schedule complications with pom– but also audition for last spring’s musical, High School Musical.
“I ended up being a cheerleader, but I was the alternate to Gabriella,” said Pimber, “And that was really fun, you know I’ve never really done that before; I just kind of went into it and I was super shocked when I saw I was [Gabriella’s] understudy.”
Pimber has made a huge impact on the Sunnyslope community, and wherever she ends up, whether it be at the as a pilot or a physical trainer, her Viking legacy will live on with all that she has done and contributed to this school.
