Marah Bengel graduated from AHS after first semester of her senior year, and began taking online classes through Iowa Western in Jan. 2017. Bengel wants to be a social worker with DHS after high school. After seeing a mother hitting and screaming at her daughter in public in Omaha, she said she knew she wanted to go into the line of work and help make a difference in the lives of children.

Bengel’’s favorite activity she participated in throughout her school years is definitely dance. She has been dancing since she was two years old and has participated in other activities also. She ran track in the fourth grade while also playing basketball in the fifth grade. Bengel played volleyball beginning in the fifth grade but decided it wasn’t for her after middle school.

When Bengel was younger, she aspired to be a school teacher but later grew out of that aspiration. She is most proud of working hard to be able to graduate a semester early her senior year. “Pete” is the teacher who has impacted her most in high school, although her grandmother has been the most influential person in her life thus far. Her role model is her aunt who has battled both breast and brain cancer.

Bengel said the most memorable moment in her life is when she was named Ms. Primetime in her second dance competition. If Marah could have one superpower, the senior said she would want to be able to see into the future, because, “that would be cool.”

In ten years time, Bengel says she hopes to own her own house and vehicle while also being married and moved out of Atlantic with a good-paying job. She said her current job is what makes her happy and smile every single day. She works with elderly and disabled people, watches over them and takes care of them. Bengel said she absolutely loves her job and, “meeting all the nice elderly people is great.”

Marah enjoys reading in her free time. Her top three favorite books include, Beautiful Disaster, Walking Disaster and The Fault in Our Stars. Bengel’s favorite memories in school include making silly fake angry faces with fellow senior Kelbe Flathers to signify that they were “mad” at each other. Her other favorable memory is when she tried to drive to Avoca with some friends for a football game, and it took them nearly two hours to get there after they ended up in Harlan.