Three students and a Williston teacher were asked who has made the biggest impact on their lives. They talked about mentors, friends, and family members who have influenced them and helped them become the people they are today.

Makenna Hambley ’17

Makenna Hambley ’17, said that the person who changed her life was her 30-year old brother, Jeffrey.

Hambley comes from a sports oriented family.  When she was younger she played on teams, but she says those experiences never brought her the joy it gave her siblings.  However, her brother, Jeffrey, coached many of those teams and understood that she was not as interested in sports as the rest of her family.

Instead, Hambley decided to pursue a different interest: dance.  She says, “He helped me pick out an acting studio, would drive me to every show, and was the person that helped me do what I love doing now.”

Hambley is now a regular in Williston’s’ Fall and Spring dance shows.

Hambley said that if she could do anything for Jeffrey now it would be to take him to Aruba, his favorite country, to which he has  been to twice.

Imran Hayatu-Deen ’16

When Imran Hayatu-Deen ’16 was asked who in his life had made the greatest impact, he already had the man in mind.  That person was Williston’s Science teacher Mr. William Berghoff.

Mr. Berghoff, the Science Department Head, and Hayatu-Deen have known each other for three years.  Imran said, “He taught me how to be a man and how to own up to my mistakes.”

Hayatu-Deen’s sophomore year he was on academic probation.  His next disciplinary action would have resulted in the school asking him to leave.  One night, Mr. Berghoff sat Hayatu-Deen down and had a serious talk with him.  He explained how much of an opportunity Williston is.

Mr. Berghoff believed in Hayatu-Deen and wanted him to succeed.  This, Hayatu-Deen said, caused him to cry.

Hayatu-Deen added, “He gave me the biggest hug and whispered in my ear, ‘You can do it.’”

Hayatu-Deen was asked what he would do for Mr. Berghoff if he could do anything.  He said that he would buy him a new, bigger van and a new house in Maine right next to the water.

Chris Hudson ’16

Chris Hudson ’16 is very close with his 21-year-old brother, Josh.  When Hudson was asked who had made the largest impact on his life, he had no doubt who that person was.

Hudson says, “He beat me up, and I learned how to go through life because of him, watching him as a role model, specifically knowing what not to do to be honest.”  A couple years ago, Josh joined the United States Air Force.  Hudson stated that his brother’s becoming a man has brought them closer to each other.

Hudson has a lot of respect for his brother and all his accomplishments, pushing Hudson to reach for his own greatest potential as a student and an athlete.

If he could do anything for Josh, Hudson said that he would construct a bronze life-size statue of him, symbolizing that Josh is someone who deserves recognition.

Mr. Hanford

Mr. Hanford, now an English teacher at Williston, met Mr. Cheney during his post-graduate year at Williston.  But this is not the current college counselor you may be thinking of, rather, it is his brother, Chris Cheney.

Mr. Chris Cheney was Mr. Hanford’s dorm parent.  He describes Mr. Cheney as a sarcastic but extremely bright person.

Mr. Hanford came to play hockey at Williston, but he left with something much more than that.  He says, “I had a more global view and an intellectual interest in the world, and a lot of it had to do with him.”

Mr. Hanford recalls that Mr. Cheney made him a more well rounded person, more than someone who just played hockey.

Mr. Hanford graduated from Williston a different man.  He spent two years at Hobart and William Smith College and then graduated from Ithaca College.

While he was working at Kimball-Union Academy in 2003, Mr. Cheney was working at Hanover High School and they crossed paths again.  He then told Mr. Cheney how he inspired him to become a teacher.

Although Mr. Hanford only knew Mr. Cheney during his one year at Williston, Mr. Hanford looks back at it and says, “He had filled a void in my life as far as someone to look up to.”