Class of 2020 Senior Spotlight - Joseph Kratz

By Joseph Kratz
Spotlight
June 10, 2020
Joseph Kratz
Joseph Kratz

1) What has been your biggest disappointment/hardship since schools have been closed for the remainder of the academic year?

The biggest disappointment, more even than missing prom and my last season of sports, is not seeing all my friends and enjoying the little interactions that happen in between classes, in the parking lot, and when we are all rushing around.

2) What are your plans for the fall?

This fall I will be attending the University of Virginia as an Echols Scholar and study foreign affairs.

3) How have your plans changed, if at all?

I am hoping for the best, but my plans might change if UVA decides to alter the fall semester. 

4) What have you learned about yourself since the COVID-19 closures?

I have come to realize that I am a much more extroverted person than I thought I was. I thought I was going to be alright seeing just my family and chatting with friends electronically, but I miss working on the school newspaper and messing around with my friends in the parking lot, at practice, and during a normal day at school.

5) What is your passion?

Hiking and spending time outside have been a passion of mine all my life, and it is a family tradition. 

6) Have you discovered a new passion in light of social distancing?

My grandmother taught me how to play bridge in quarantine, and now it is, by far, my favorite card game. 

7) What are your hopes for the future?

My dream is to join the U.S. Foreign Service and become an ambassador.

8) Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you?

I am disappointed that I cannot celebrate my accomplishments with my family and friends, because we cannot come together and enjoy each other’s company.

9) What are you most proud of about your school experience/best memory?

One of my best memories is storming the field my junior year after Falls Church won the Bell Game against Justice High School.