It's been more than 20 years since Andrea Cook graduated from Lapeer West High School.

And even today, Cook says she goes through life with lessons learned during her time at LCS.

"My teachers most certainly shaped me to who I am today," said Cook, a 2006 Lapeer West graduate. "I was fortunate enough to have multiple teachers who saw my potential and took the additional time necessary to nurture it.

"I remember my eighth grade science teacher, Gary Shindorf. As a young adolescent, I had a million questions about everything, and Mr. Shindorf never tired of answering them. When my questions occupied too much of his class time, he asked me to write them down instead. Every day, I handed Mr. Shindorf my list of questions. The next day, he always returned my list to me along with his handwritten responses. Every day. Who does that?"

In addition to Lapeer West, Cook also attended Elba and Seaton for elementary school and Zemmer Junior High. She played saxophone in the marching band and was a member of the science Olympiad team.

"Looking back, what impresses me the most is that I graduated from high school with my classmates from kindergarten," Cook said. "As a former schoolteacher, I can honestly say that almost never happens anywhere else."

After graduation, Cook earned a degree in Music Education from Central Michigan University and taught K-12 music in eastern Montana. Currently, she's living in western North Carolina employed as an oncology nurse where she administers chemotherapy to cancer patients.

For current LCS students ready to take that next step in life, Cook has succinct advice.

"Enjoy college," Cook said. "It will be the only time in your life when you are surrounded by 20,000 people the same age as you."

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