Counting his friendships and the connections he made as his greatest achievements, Cooper Hallman looks back fondly on his days at Emmaus High School.
Hallman spent his high school career pushing himself academically while pursuing his Eagle Stout distinction outside the walls of EHS. He plans to attend Drexel University in the fall to major in business.
Stinger: What was your greatest achievement throughout high school and why?
Hallman: I think my greatest achievement throughout high school is all the friends I’ve made. Those are such strong friendships I never could have imagined having in my life. These guys have had my back in every instance and I wouldn’t trade their friendship and their support for anything in the world. Over the years throughout high school, I’ve forged bonds with them and made them even stronger. It’s something I’m really proud of.
Stinger: What was your favorite experience participating in Eagle Scouts?
Hallman: I’ve had a lot of opportunities to grow as a person throughout Eagle Scouts and I’ve had great opportunities to grow as a leader and refine my leadership skills. One of the best parts of being an Eagle Scout was definitely the two week trip to Florida we took this past summer. In the first week, we hopped around to a couple places; we landed in Orlando, went to the space center down there, and then went to the beach in Miami. The second week we went to the Sea Base, which was the environmental center where we stayed in dorms and went kayaking, boating, and deep-sea fishing. We got the opportunity to bond with each other in the two weeks, and it was really a great experience.
Stinger: If you had the opportunity to re-do your unexpected last day of senior year, what would you do and why?
Hallman: For me, I think I would say goodbye to all my friends. I realize now that I’ll probably never see a lot of those people again. Our class is definitely a lot bigger than I realized. Just going back and saying goodbye and letting them know what they all meant to me over these past four years.
Stinger: What is your favorite memory from your time at EHS?
Hallman: My senior homecoming. It was really fun taking pictures beforehand and the dance this year was actually really fun, and probably my favorite one. Hanging out afterwards was really fun too and just realizing that senior year was starting and the future was so soon, but that we still had time to enjoy our senior year, or so we thought.
Stinger: What advice would you give underclassmen?
Hallman: My sister is very bad at this, she hates school. She is loving that we’re in quarantine because she loves to be home and do her own thing. I always tell her that she shouldn’t be so eager for high school to be over because once it’s gone, it’s gone. These are the years where you’re supposed to make your best memories and you should really just live in the moment and live each day like you’re not gonna have a next one. Take advantage of the opportunities you have around you because once it’s gone, you’re not gonna get it back. So when you look back, hopefully you’re glad that you spent the time that you did and made all the memories that you could throughout high school.
Stinger: What was your favorite cafeteria lunch and why?
Hallman: There are a couple good ones. The flatbread pizza was really good, my friends and I really liked that one. I’m also a big grilled cheese guy, so I would always get that too.
Stinger: Who was the teacher who had the greatest impact on you during your time at EHS?
Hallman: It would definitely be Mr. Pum. I had him last year for World Studies Honors and I also had him this year for AP Gov. He’s taught me so many things about hard work and success. He’s been a great person to go to during rougher times and I’ve been able to talk about life, sports, and school with him. He likes to pretend that he’s a sarcastic guy, but he’s a really nice guy and probably one of my favorite teachers I’ve ever had throughout high school.
Stinger: What are your plans for after high school?
Hallman: I will be attending Drexel University, hopefully in the fall if campuses are open. I will be majoring in business undecided and hope to receive help from my advisors to choose something in the business arena. I’m thinking right now of choosing finance or real estate, but we’ll see. I’m doing the five year program, it’s an accelerated track to get work experience well at school and to finish with a masters degree in five years as opposed to six.
