The last name Stroup may not be new to The Yorktown Sentry, but sophomore Aidan Stroup is. The tennis and basketball player joined the paper for his love of writing articles and because his older sister Grace had a great time in the class. Just based off of his pet peeve, he will fit right in.

“When people mean to say how many of a certain thing but they say how much. It is something my younger brother used to do all the time. He would say ‘how much apples do you have’ and it would get really annoying because I was with him all the time when we used to share a room,” Stroup said.

Though Stroup has a knack for grammar, English is not his favorite class. In fact he excels in the opposite, math.

“I like to solve equations and get the answer. You can solve problems in many ways, there is no right way to do it,” Stroup said.

His passion for problem solving would come in handy in his dream job.

“I kind of want to be a lawyer but I want to do something that does not take up all of my time so I can still manage to do other activities. Being a lawyer would be fun because I like to prove people wrong with arguments and things like that,” Stroup said.

Though Stroup is a practical thinker about his future career, the type of person he would want to switch lives with for a day is more on the fun side.

“I don’t have anyone specific in mind but someone with really good singing abilities because I have always been jealous of people who could hit very high notes. I sound very bad singing,” Stroup said.

In Stroup’s wanted down time you can find him on a train to New York City eating both pizza and burgers, as he cannot decide which American classic is his favorite between them.

“I don’t really have any specific places in mind but I would say somewhere very tropical and go by plane or private jet if I could. But if I were to go anywhere in the United States I would go to New York City by train. I went there once and I really liked the train, probably because I was younger but it was still a really good experience and I really like the city,” Stroup said.

Until Stroup becomes massively successful in his future, he will continue to be a normal high school teen, including his sporting endeavours and how he has spent his last six summers.

“I went to a camp in West Virginia called Camp Greenbriar and then I went to Bethany beach,” Stroup said.

Stroup is very family oriented and even noted his dad as his biggest inspiration. Getting straight A’s and being successful outside of college are what appeal to Stroup about his father and seem very attainable to him if he continues with the drive and passion he exemplifies today. The black lab loving sports star is an all around great person to talk and work with. The Sentry cannot wait to have him!

Obama admirer, Taylor Swift skeptic, senior and Head Editor Gigi Richardson has a strong passion for writing. Richardson has been an essential member of The Sentry for two years and is looking forward to another great year. Richardson’s writing skills and dedication set her apart from others. The Sentry has been a great part of Richardson’s life over the past few years.

“I made a lot of good friends through it. I didn’t really know Jessie and Rosie coming into it, but now they’re my best friends,” Richardson said.

Richardson enjoys listening to music as some of her favorite artists include Frank Ocean, One Direction and Daniel Cesar. She loves to listen to music that would make most people sad.

“Any music that kind of makes you cry I like to listen to and not cry,” Richardson said.

Richardson also expresses many mixed feelings for superstar Taylor Swift.

“I’ve never really liked her personally because she seems snooty, but her albums like Speak Now and Fearless… I listen to them to this day, so you have to to give her credit, she’s amazing. Her new songs are god awful, I don’t get it, she tries to evolve [with] each album and I guess it’s her thing, but I don’t choose to listen to it,” Richardson said.

Richardson likes to play and watch sports. She also takes part in many different clubs and sports at school.

“I play lacrosse and I play field hockey [for Yorktown] which I don’t really enjoy playing that much, but I like the team. I really like to watch college basketball,” Richardson said.

Richardson’s hobbies include playing with her dog and binge watching shows on Netflix. She has tried to pick up certain hobbies, but has not always been successful.

“I tried to pick up knitting one time as a hobby and was pretty good, but gave up on it,” Richardson said.

If Richardson could travel anywhere in the world, she would go to the Grand Canyon.

“I really want to go to the Grand Canyon, really badly…  I’ve been to Spain, England and each Christmas I go somewhere tropical which is nice,” Richardson said.

Richardson’s sister is her biggest role model, but she also strives to be like Obama.

“I know he’s not really a celebrity, but Obama. I love him, just everything about him, he’s really cool, I wish I could be that smart. Just in general he’s a very nice person and I think that’s something to strive for,” Richardson said.

Head Editor Richardson has been a perfect fit in The Sentry over the past few years and nothing less than another great year should be expected from her.