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Brenna Mertens—known as BrennaM to The Potter’s School students—is an outgoing, friendly, 17-year-old high school senior. She lives in Yorkville, Illinois—a suburb outside of Chicago—with her four sisters, her “stay-at-home mom” and her “working dad.” Ever since kindergarten, her parents have homeschooled her. In eighth grade, Brenna’s parents enrolled her in the Potter’s School and she has been taking classes there sporadically for four years.

 

Music is an essential part of Brenna’s life. She listens to most types of music, but lately she has been listening to classical and her favorite band—Switchfoot. Brenna would eventually like to obtain a degree in Musical Education.

 

Brenna’s favorite movies are the LOTR trilogy. She “completely [enjoys] J.R.R. Tolkein’s masterpieces,” and loves seeing them as movies. Brenna loves the book “The Year I Got Polio.” Many times she has read this true story about a young girl who got polio. “[This book] touched me, and opened my eyes to see how fortunate and truly blessed I am,” said Brenna.

 

Every morning Brenna wakes up bright and early to go to work. She works from 6:00am-8:30am at Kaneland Elementary School with the before-and-after-school programs. During this time she helps kids with their homework and watches them until their parents come and get them.

 

Right now Brenna attends classes at Wabaunsee Community College—a community college near her home. Over the next two years she plans to obtain an associates degree in Business Communications/Associations and then to transfer to Northern Illinois University for a degree in Business and a second degree in Musical Education.

 

For about a year and a half now, Brenna has been driving. She now shares a 2003 Saturn SL with her big sis, but she hopes to buy a car this summer after graduation.

 

When asked what she likes to do with her spare time, Brenna answered, “Spare time? What’s that?”

 

When she actually has spare time, Brenna likes to spend time with family and friends, play just about any sport, practice piano and her singing, and watch movies with her friends. Oh and who could forget about SHOPPING!

 

Brenna grew up in a loving Christian home, and from an early age knew of Christ’s love, and Salvation. At the age of 13, on “December 31, 2000,” Brenna Mertens became a Christian. Now the driving forces of Brenna’s life are “God and His kingdom, and the realization that I am not here to live for my life.” Every week Brenna attends Grace Covenant Church—a non-denominational (protestant) church that has some Baptist influences.

 

“My blessings are abundant and it is hard for me to count them all. When I doubted my life, and the direction I was heading in, He showed me His way. When I wasn’t sure how things would turn out, He gave me reassurance. God and my family have been the best things in my life, and I’ve come to realize that even more over the course of my life,” says Brenna.    

Brenna adds, “I just want to thank the Gilberts, [the] teachers, [the] forum moderators, The Cracked Pot e-zine staff, and the students for all their hard work in making TPS what it is today.”

 

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