By Julie Piedrahita
Mary Frances Dempsey is a senior entering her third year on The Yorktown Sentry and her first year as Style Editor. Despite taking on an editorial role, she is still eager to write articles of her own.
“I will definitely still be reporting and writing stories. I know a lot of editors, because of the workload, decide not to, but I just have so many things I want to write about,” Dempsey said.
When she’s not writing, Dempsey is either captaining the varsity cheerleading team or creating impressive makeup looks on her Instagram page.
“One hundred percent, [my favorite medium of expression is] makeup. Every other version I have of expressing myself, like fashion or public speech or cheer, is filtered,” Dempsey said.
Many students at our school knew Dempsey before entering high school—especially students coming from Williamsburg Middle School (WMS). In 2022, local news stations covered her efforts to educate students at WMS about the recent changes in dress code, something that administration failed to notify students about.
When asked about why Dempsey was so passionate about this issue, she responded with how it seemed as if nobody cared about the problem, or her when she started addressing it.
“It was just something that was so glaringly, obviously wrong. And I hated that no one was paying attention not only to the issue but to me when I brought it up,” Dempsey said.
Dempsey has always been someone who petitions for what she believes is right and doing what she loves. In the future, she wants to pivot from reporting on people making a difference, to making the difference that is being reported on.
Dempsey is always making an effort to do little things that take her out of her comfort zone, such as dancing with strangers.
“Little things like that just give you hope in humanity and also show you it doesn’t really matter. Nothing really matters that much,” Dempsey said.
When questioned if Dempsey would take journalism as a class again, she responded with a resounding yes.
“I wish I joined it sooner; that’s my only regret,” Dempsey said.
One of the jobs she has as a captain of the cheer team is giving tours to incoming freshmen. She says that she will always recommend a class such as newspaper, yearbook or The Dailies, our broadcast journalism class, because those are the classes that will create community and build commitment.
Before pivoting to hyping up our student section, Dempsey cheered competitively for nine years. As for joining our cheer team, Dempsey says that it was the best decision she has ever made. She says that cheer has made her realize that it’s okay to put yourself out there and maybe fail, but you can just pick yourself up afterward. The sport is very special to her in that it offers an opportunity for teenagers to put themselves out there and really humble themselves, as she herself has done in the past.
“I have fallen on my face … so many times in front of so many people. It’s really helped me overcome my fear of others,” Dempsey said.
Dempsey has already made such an impact on her community and the lives of people around her, but she says that most importantly, she just wants to be someone who is kind, and who has made a difference. We look forward to seeing what more impactful thoughts and stories Dempsey will contribute this year on The Sentry.
By Mary Frances Dempsey
If you want to be permanently disgusted by our school, just ask reporter Julie Piedrahita about the bacteria. As a sophomore and avid biologist, Piedrahita is studying the various unicellular microorganisms in our building for her recent science project, a feat that grosses out even a professional such as her.
“This is disgusting,” Piedrahita said.
Her hunt for E. Coli and Staph on our lockers comes from an interest spawned in seventh grade when she was recognized by the DC branch of the Society of Microbiology for her “What’s the Dirtiest Place in Our School?” science project. Since then, she has delved deeper into biology, hoping to one day develop vaccines. However, despite clear accomplishments in the field, she admits there is an exception to her love of science.
“I’m not super into Chemistry … I need to lock in for Chemistry,” Piedrahita said.
Aside from science, Piedrahita developed a love for photography, a romance that originates in a picture of her and her friends from when she was just ten years old.
“We’re backlit by the sunset. It’s just so adorable,” Piedrahita said.
To her, photography is the best means of expression. Piedrahita believes it is the perfect way to showcase emotion or thought. If money was no object, Piedrahita would pursue the art in a more urban area, where she wants to settle.
“I would be in a city and just photograph anything that sparks joy in me and that, I think, would spark joy in others,” Piedrahita said.
But until she decides her career path, she will have to reside here at our school, where she has to overcome some discomfort with the student age gaps.
“You literally have eighteen year olds here with fourteen year olds. Like the cafeteria has both [ages]. That’s crazy,” Piedrahita said.
Though she hesitates to say much about what she gains from us, our school gains a lot from Piedrahita. She claims that, although she is an only child, she is not the anti-social type. In fact, this year especially she hopes to expand her identity past her impressive academic talents and prioritize her friends.
“I want to be known as compassionate. I always want people to say that they could rely on me for something,” Piedrahita said.
A vibrant, intelligent, and kind girl like Piedrahita is not easy to come by, and we can only wish her luck when she eventually leaves these halls. That is, until she comes back inducted into our school’s hall of fame.
