Anderson High School valedictorian overcomes rare birth defect to build academic resume

Yahoo

6 days ago

ANDERSON — Isaac Knost has overcome the odds to enjoy a full and successful student career at Anderson High School.
He's on the swim team at Anderson High School. He plays French horn in the school band. He received an associate's degree from Ivy Tech three weeks ago, and next Saturday, he will graduate from AHS as the class valedictorian.
Knost built his impressive academic resume after his parents were told, shortly after his birth, that their son might never walk or talk.
He was born with a rare condition known as craniosynostosis, in which fibrous sutures in a newborn's skull prematurely fuse together as bone, preventing the full formation of the brain.
'We were actually told he … would probably never live independently,' said his father, Michael Knost, who teaches biology and zoology at the high school.
His mother, Elizabeth, teaches freshman English and developmental reading at the school.
'He did physical, occupational and speech therapy through First Steps,' Michael continued. 'He started physical therapy and occupational therapy at 6 weeks old and did that ... until he was 3 years old.'
Isaac started kindergarten four days after his fifth birthday. His parents wanted him to start early in case he had to repeat kindergarten because of his condition.
When Isaac entered kindergarten, he did not know all of the alphabet and was having trouble learning to read. By the time he left kindergarten, he was reading chapter books.
'From the start, he had to work hard and was being pushed by his therapists, just to be able to do normal stuff,' Michael said. 'He has always been a hard worker, and I think part of that is because he has had to work hard all his life.'
Starting at the age of six, Isaac and his parents traveled to different colleges for several years and shared his story during dance marathons.
Terri Wilson, the college and career counselor at Anderson High School, has marveled at Isaac's progression.
'It's been amazing to watch Isaac's growth over the years,' Wilson said. 'From the start, he showed promise, but seeing how he's developed academically and personally — taking on more responsibility, challenging himself and truly coming into his own — has been incredibly rewarding.'
Becoming valedictorian and receiving an associate's degree before graduating high school were never goals for Knost.
'I was never really working toward Core 30 or my associate's degree or anything,' he said. 'All the college credit classes and stuff just happened to be the classes that I took because I thought they looked like the ones that would be more fun.
'I like to push myself and make it more of a challenge. I was never really going for it until it was just like, 'You are this close, might as well.''
Isaac said his ambition traces, in part, to his upbringing. His parents taught him to put maximum effort into everything he does.
Michael said Isaac has been in the high-abilities program since he was in third grade. Being with the same group of students through most of school fosters friendly 'cooperation and competition' among them to make them better, he said.
Isaac's choices to take hard classes and do extra work speaks volumes about him, according to Wilson.
'Isaac's desire to take on more rigorous course work speaks to his determination and love of learning,' she said. 'He doesn't shy away from a challenge; instead, he embraces it.
'His ability to handle demanding classes reflects both his strong work ethic and his readiness for the next step in his academic journey.'
Isaac plans to major in cybersecurity at Anderson University and has been accepted into AU's music program. He also intends to join the school's swimming team.