Maggie Walas perfectly exemplifies what it means to be both a natural star and genuine soul. From her artistic mind filled with creativity and music, to her instinctive sense of humor, Maggie highlights the best qualities of an Enloe Eagle. While she is known for her incredible leadership skills, generosity, and style, what sticks with you the most is the way she lights up every room she walks into. 

She shares this light by following her early passion for music. Maggie has showcased her voice here at Enloe through her involvement in Chamber chorus, Tri-M, and Crescenloe. Tri-M and Crescenloe are student-led clubs for music lovers, and Chamber is Enloe’s highest level chorus. Clearly, there is no doubt that Maggie has an incredible talent in singing. When asked about where this passion stemmed from, Maggie said, “I think my family has always been very musical. My dad was in a band and we’ve always had a music room in our house where we have [a] piano, drums, guitar, and everything like that … It’s just been pretty much my whole life and I’ve found different ways to incorporate it into what I do.” From writing and performing songs with Crescenloe, to caroling in and out of classrooms during the holidays, Maggie has illustrated her incredible dedication and passion for music. 

Music is just one of Maggie’s many talents! She is also an incredible theater actress and performer who has been a part of many shows, including Enloe’s “Between The Lines.” However, Enloe’s auditorium has seen only a sprinkle of the talent Maggie possesses. At Raleigh Little Theater, she has performed in “Fancy Nancy,” “Cinderella,” “Elephant and Piggy the Musical,” and even “The Lion King” back in middle school. Out of her impressive resume, Maggie shared that one of her favorite theater opportunities was playing Daisy, the lead of a newly written show titled “A Way Home.” 

In addition to her gift for the performing arts, Maggie is a natural born leader and president of Enloe’s most underrated service club—Interact! Interact is a student-led club that works to raise money for non-profit organizations. Last year they raised around $2,000 in partnership with Apex Primary School’s clean wash initiative. In doing so they have worked to build sinks, bathrooms, and even wells with the intention of giving students in underprivileged schools access to clean water, which is something many of us take for granted everyday. However, Maggie’s work to better the community doesn’t stop with her leadership for Interact.

Maggie’s love for working with children has been beautifully integrated throughout the course of her life. From her roles in PEPI, Camp Kanata, and even babysitting jobs, Maggie has become an incredible role model inspiring countless children from all backgrounds. PEPI is a class that works alongside special needs students here at Enloe. Maggie commented, “It’s a class that is half internship at Poe Elementary. I’ve done it for two years and so I’ve gotten to see a lot of the kids grow up. It’s a lot of observing, getting to know the kids and seeing what it takes to be a teacher.” What’s even more incredible is the opportunity these students are given to then lead their own classes to help out special needs students here at Enloe. “The [special needs] ECS students at Enloe get gym class every other day, and we essentially get to be their gym teachers. We write and run all the lesson plans and are able to help out with different kids, many of whom are our own age.” Maggie’s dedication to PEPI shows her generosity and kindness, making her so loved and admired by all the people around her. 

Maggie continues to be an uplifting and fun-loving spirit throughout all of her relationships. Lifelong friend Violet Moore remarked, “I can go from laughing really hard with her and making inside jokes to genuinely having serious conversations about our lives, and I especially like how we always try to talk about positive things. Not a lot of people get that but she’s so understanding.” Maggie’s optimistic view on life and uplifting personality are also some of what many have said to be her best qualities. 

Emma Sluder also shared one of her favorite Maggie memories, which actually happens to be the story of how they met. “I met Maggie my freshman year on the first day of chorus. Ms. Hallihan does this thing where she has everybody take off one of their shoes and put it in the middle of the classroom, and then everybody goes and picks up a shoe to find who it is and then you talk to them for a bit. I remember, Maggie and I both found each other’s shoes on purpose just so that we could talk to each other. But this was the first time we had ever met before. So we both kinda had little friend crushes on each other, but we called them squishes. And ever since then, but especially when she moved to my section, we’ve just become the best of friends.”

Continuing down the list of people who love Maggie, her boyfriend Stephen Willett remarked that one of his favorite things about Maggie is her incredible style and fashion sense. “One of my most favorite things about her is that she has great style and wears great outfits or clothes. But I especially love her jewelry.” It is amazing to see how Maggie’s creative personality can even be expressed through the everyday clothes that she chooses to wear. Looking at Maggie’s closest relationships, it is evident how much love is shared between one another, and that every memory made together is treasured as a keepsake for life. 

While the future may remain uncertain for all of our seniors, I know with her inspiring ambition and adventurous dreams, Maggie will excel at whatever she chooses to do in the future. Whether that be working with children, following her passion for the performing arts, or continuing service projects bettering the community, there is no doubt that Maggie will go off to do amazing things. And of course, her longstanding and positive legacy here at Enloe will never be forgotten. We truly appreciate Maggie for all that she has brought to our school, and hope that she never stops being a light in everyone’s lives. The Eagle’s Eye wishes you all the best, and for the perfect send-off, a famous quote from Dr. Seuss, “Oh, the places you’ll go!”