Where are they now

Catching up with former Grand Island Public Schools students

Amber Alvidrez

Gates | Barr | GISH Class of 2007 | Community Development Administrator, City of Grand Island

Amber Alvidrez attended Hastings College after graduating from Grand Island Senior High. After changing her major from veterinary medicine, she decided to pursue another passion. She graduated in 2014 with a degree in human services and administration.

As the community development administrator for the City of Grand Island, Amber does grant work to help city projects and nonprofits receive funding. Her main responsibility is organizing the federal community development block grant. The redevelopment of downtown Grand Island is one example of a project to receive funding through the program she oversees.

Amber now coordinates the Community Youth Council, something she was involved in while at GISH. Since she was involved in veterinary medicine, Amber also was in HOSA at GISH. She said, besides going into college with many credits, GISH gave her plenty of opportunities to set herself apart. One of her best high school memories was meeting a local veterinarian. When her dog’s eye popped out, she got to shadow the veterinarian and help operate on her dog.

Dr. Ryan Harris

Stolley Park | Barr | GISH Class of 2011 | Dentist at Gentle Dental Care, Grand Island

Ryan Harris attended Doane College and majored in biology with minors in chemistry and psychology. While at Doane, he competed on the golf team. Ryan then attended the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry to earn his graduate degree. He returned home to serve the community he loves.

While at Grand Island Senior High, Ryan was on the golf team all four years and the swim team his senior year. He helped the Islander boys golf team clinch the Heartland Athletic Conference title in 2011.

He was also an active participant in the student section at many sporting events.

He said GISH really helped prepare him for college. Ryan said GISH was a great place to receive college credits before actually going to college, which allowed him to have two minors on top of his biology major. Ryan said there is an awesome selection of high level courses offered at GISH, along with many fantastic teachers, faculty and staff all helping prepare him for his future.

Sydney Huss

Stolley Park | Barr | GISH Class of 2012 | Associate Attorney at Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather, LLP

Sydney Huss graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2015. She then went on to pursue her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law and graduated in 2018. Sydney is a second year associate attorney at the firm of Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather, LLP in Omaha. Her practice involves mainly commercial and business litigation.

Sydney said she is so thankful for having attended such a diverse high school. During her time at GIPS, especially at GISH, she was able to meet and interact with students from all different walks of life. Because of this experience, she is more open-minded about the world around her and approaches new people and new situations with empathy and understanding.

While at GISH, Sydney took many AP classes, which completed the majority of her general education credits needed for college. This allowed her to focus on taking classes relevant to her major. It also saved both time and money as she was able to graduate from college in three, rather than four years.

David Reynolds

Shoemaker | Westridge | GISH Class of 2017 | Undergrad student at Iowa State University

David Reynolds is a second-year honors student studying mechanical engineering at Iowa State University. He continues to do his undergraduate research on organ-on-a-chip technology, which uses micro technology to simulate an organ. David started presenting his research his sophomore year. He interned at Dramco Tool and then at the University of Minnesota, where he shadowed a doctor and learned more about biomedical engineering. The end goal of David’s research is to see technology that would allow people to self diagnose and track diseases.

David recently studied abroad at the University of South Wales. After presenting his research at Harvard this semester, he plans to explore options to pursue his PhD in bioengineering. His long-term career goal is to start a bio engineering firm and possibly expand into the renewable energy and space areas.

David said the teachers he had throughout GIPS played a big role in where he is today. The teachers and staff not only taught him the knowledge he needed, but also the life skills he needed to succeed.