Aimee Thrune, second-year senior math, Spanish and education major, walks up to the classroom board in China. Each American student is paired with an international student for an integral math race to see who can get the problem done first.

“This is math, I got this,” Thrune says to herself.

The rowdy classmates watch as Thrune finishes the problem far before the other student at the board. After that, all the international students are well-behaved, so they would not be beat by an American again in their own classroom.

“This was probably my best memory from going to China last year with the basketball team,” said Thrune.

This was not Thrune’s first taste of success either. “I have always been successful because I was pushed to work hard, and I made it happen,” said Thrune.

She also has a huge support group ranging from family to professors. Her mother went to every single basketball game (even the ones in China), and her father made all the games he could.

Her professors push her to do her best, which she appreciates. In everything Thrune does, she asks herself, “how do I make them (my parents and professors) proud?”

At the Honors Banquet this year, she won the Clarence H. Koehler Award, which is given to the senior who displays the most Lakeland spirit, and won the Who’s Who Award, which is given out across the United States to college students based on outstanding academics and leadership, for the third year. In past years, she has also won the Math Student of the Year Award and the Spanish Student of the Year Award.

When she was younger, Thrune felt that she should not become a teacher. Her mother and father were teachers, and she had to take classes with them, which she did not particularly like at that time. However, during one summer, she taught a summer school class and fell in love with teaching. Today, she now has her own summer class course in math.

Thrune came to Lakeland knowing she would be an education major, but she did not yet know she would be a math and Spanish major as well. After taking a pre-calculus class, Thrune thought to herself, “why don’t I just major in this?”

After taking a Spanish class, Elizabeth Fronczak, Spanish instructor, convinced Thrune to take a study abroad trip to Columbia through the school. When the trip was done, Thrune only had to take a few more Spanish credits to have the major.

“The funniest thing is that the last major I decided to take on was the one I finished first,” said Thrune about her Spanish major. She also has a minor in Spanish for education students.

“My ideal teaching job would be teaching seventh grade and coaching (because I love working with that age group),” said Thrune.

During Fronczak’s Spanish classes, she gained additional experience in teaching by being a teacher assistant. Her other on-campus jobs include being a tutor, campus ambassador and the Men’s basketball team manager.

For three years Thrune was also a resident assistant before she moved off-campus. Additionally, Thrune is a reading and math tutor for a third grade girl in Sheboygan. She is also student teaching for a seventh grade class and is loving it.

“These kids are just amazing. There’s this girl who is a great artist, and it’s just so cool to see all the talent in these kids,” said Thrune.

Some clubs she participates in are Spanish Club, Spanish National Honors Society, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Math Club.

Thrune also has participated in sports during her time at Lakeland. For her first four years she played basketball. In addition, she played golf for two years and is currently playing tennis this year because a friend was also doing the sport and she enjoys playing tennis with her family.