PICTURED ABOVE: Seventeen young women in the 2025 Panorama Community Schools graduating class, plus two foreign exchange students, participated in the April 16 annual senior tea hosted by the Panora Women’s Service Organization. Standing, from left: Baylyn Herring, Emme Hardisty, Joelyn Roeder, Maddy Carstens, Arilyan Steenblock, Kelsey Laabs, Aubrey Lincoln, Cayden Iredale, Madison Mincy, Ruanne Brinker, Kylee Solorzano, Lilly Gilge, Maddy Lutz and Neele Wirths. Seated, from left: Bridgette Ewing, Faith Recker, Juana Chavez, Elizabeth Snyder, Hanna Smith, Ella Gaffney and Paola Lopez.
By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times
Elizabeth Snyder, seated on the left, brought five guests to the 2025 Panorama senior tea. Seated with her are Tarra Schmitz and Joan Sneller. Standing, left to right, are Melissa Snyder, Jeni Laabs and Zola Snyder.
On Wednesday afternoon, April 16, members of the Panora Women’s Service Organization (WSO) hosted their annual senior tea for Panorama Community Schools senior girls. The girls were encouraged to invite as many women guests as they wanted, and the group of about 60 included mothers, grandmothers, aunts and family friends.
Mary Jane Sprague, WSO president, welcomed the girls and their guests to the Panora Church of the Brethren sanctuary at 2 p.m. She asked each senior to stand and introduce herself and her guests and tell something about her future plans.
WSO member Maureen Lubeck introduced the afternoon’s guest speakers. The three daughters of Brandon and Jaime Waddle spoke, with the oldest, Jaelyn, up first. Jaelyn graduated from Panorama in 2019.
“By the end of this, our hope is that no matter where you are headed in your journey, something from our stories will resonate with you and encourage you to walk in confidence wherever you go,” she said.
Jaelyn’s first day of classes at Iowa State University was Aug. 26, 2019. She read entries from her journal that day, plus a few others until her graduation May 3, 2024. The entries demonstrated her personal growth in those four years.
Seated in the middle is student Baylyn Herring. Her guests for the WSO senior tea were her mother, Amanda Myers-Herring, and her grandmother, Karen Peterson.
Jaelyn offered some nuggets of advice. For instance, “Don’t fear failure. Fear standing still. Growth is just one step on the other side of your comfort zone.” Or this, “Saying yes is just as important as saying no. Say yes to hanging out with people who are different from you. Say yes to taking a chance on yourself.”
In closing, Jaelyn challenged the Panorama girls who soon will be graduates.
“The world needs your ideas, your voices, your courage. Go out there and build lives full of meaning, not just resumes full of achievements,” she said.
Next up was Ella, who graduated from Panorama in 2021. She started her college career at Iowa State University, spent a semester at the University of Hawaii, and now is at Drake University pursuing a doctorate in pharmacy.
“None of that was part of my original plan when I was in your shoes, but that’s the beauty of life,” she said. “Have a dream that makes you want to get out of bed in the morning. Something that fuels your fire. Then work hard for it and keep going.”
At a freshman orientation, students were told to write down goals for their next four years. A girl next to Ella said she wanted to study abroad.
The three daughters of Brandon and Jaime Waddle were guest speakers at the WSO annual senior tea. Pictured from left, Jaime Waddle and daughters Jaelyn, Mia and Ella.
“I thought how could anyone leave their family for that long and be that far away,” she said. “But you grow, and just a year later, I found myself applying for the National Student Exchange program in Hawaii. It turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made. Dream that dream. Face that fear. Do that hard thing. And never, ever give up.”
The final speaker was Mia Waddle, who graduated from Panorama in 2024, and is wrapping up her first year at Iowa State University.
“Just one year ago, I was sitting right where you are,” Mia said. “I was counting down the days to graduation, already dreaming about how I’d reinvent myself the moment I set foot on campus. I was going to magically become this cooler, more confident, more together version of myself in college. But none of that happened, as least not right away.”
Mia talked about the self-doubt she felt during her first days on campus.
“It hits you in a quiet dorm room, wondering why everything feels so different from what you imagined,” she said. “It hits when you’re walking to class alone, eating lunch alone, or standing in a crowded room thinking, ‘Why does this feel so hard for me when everyone else looks like they’re thriving.’ The truth is, they’re not. They’re just hiding it better.”
Ella Gaffney, on the right, is shown with her guests, Paula Shoyer and Dorothy Gaffney.
In closing, Mia said the most important thing she wanted her audience to remember is not to follow someone else’s script, but rather learn to trust their own.
“You’re growing, and growth is rarely comfortable, but it’s worth it,” she said. “Take a deep breath. You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to keep going.”
Following comments by the Waddle sisters, photos of the seniors were taken as the WSO women made final preparations in the Fellowship Hall for finger sandwiches, cookies, candy, tea, coffee and lemonade. Once seated, WSO members served drinks and the guests helped themselves to the food displayed on their tables. n
