Annika Aho | Cool pink | #dough4aho

Aho wanted to be a survivor because she thought raising money for charity would be fun, and because a friend of hers was a participant last year. She is involved in Club We Now and she also plays Varsity Lacrosse. The abilities she believes set her apart from the other eleven survivors are her determination and her friendly personality. She predicts that she will place third out of twelve. She provided the following  quote to represent her mindset as a survivors: “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” It remains to be seen how this philosophy will work out for her in the dog-eat-dog world of Senior Survivor.

Lillianna Cruz | Orange | #lilmoneybag

Left-handed Lilliana Cruz wanted to become a senior survivor after seeing all the cheerleaders that participated in past seasons. She is involved with Varsity Cheer, both sideline and competitive. To this point, Cruz says she is very competitive, way more competitive in particular than Addilyn Gaul. Cruz believes she will get sixth or seventh place mainly because she is very easily manipulated and thinks someone might trick her. Cruz said, “I hope to make it to Friday, but if not I’ll be cheering on my friends either way.”

Lucas Finkbiner | Mint green | #FundsForFink

Finkbiner enjoys the great outdoors. Finkbiner wanted to participate in Senior Survivor after hearing about it in 8th grade and thinking that it sounded like something he would want to do. Finkbiner had a lot of friends that participated in past seasons of Senior Survivor, making him want to do it as well. He is involved with many things at WO, including NHS, being a black hole alternate, and the symphony orchestra. Finkbiner is going into Survivor with experience selling items for money, and believes his opponents do not have as much experience. Finkbiner believes his enormous school spirit differentiates him from his competition. He believes he will get first place because he will draw a lot of attention to himself. Finkbiner quoted Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson saying, “Good, better, best, never let it rest. Til your good becomes your better and your better becomes your best.”

Addilyn Gall | Hot pink | #stax4adds

Gall is excited for Senior Survivor for two reasons: “I want to be able to raise money for WinWO, and one of my neighbors did it, which really influenced me to do it.” Gall stays busy at WO by being a part of the girls’ tennis team, NHS, and Links. Describing herself as extra-extra competitive, she has secret plans to sell something “very creative… probably something people have never seen before,” to get ahead of her opponents. Gall believes she’ll place fourth or fifth, hoping she can “make an impact in 2025 without tripping on the way out!”

Elijah Gutknecht | Brown | #EliEarns

Gutknecht’s favorite artist is Radiohead. He joined Senior Survivor because he wanted to help raise money for WinWO, which has helped him personally with things in the past. Gutknecht is part of CTEE, the Japan exchange program, and the Spain exchange program. He claims his perseverance will come in handy during senior survivor and that selling different items than everyone else is what will separate him from other survivors. Gutknecht predicts he’ll get third or fourth place, mainly because he believes other people will perform better in the games being played. Gutknecht provided the following quote for his mindset going into survivor: “But you need to be with people who accept you for who you are; you should never apologize for being you.” – Monica Gallagher

Jonathan Hernandez | Red | #JohnnyCa$h

Hernandez plans on raising the most money and winning it all. According to Hernandez, what makes him stick out among the pack is his motive to being a survivor: he aims to win because he hasn’t been the wealthiest guy or part of the best side of life he knows what its like to not have a lot of money. He wants to win specifically to provide money for those in need. Hernandez believes he has an edge on everyone else by having sales skills and knowing what our generation buys and what they want. A quote that reminds Hernandez of himself is “A negative mindset will never give you the best outcome.”

Leinad Hollon | Lavender | #HollerForHollon

Hollon wanted to become a Senior Survivor after being inspired by several WinWO stories. He wanted to give back to the WO community which has given a lot to him and thought it sounded fun. He is involved in Wrestling, the National Honor Society, and the Skiing Club. Hollon believes he has several abilities that will come in handy during Survivor, including being a “tireless worker,” a creative marketer, and a decisive. He plans on selling appealing items to students and says he has zero ego: he is willing to do whatever it takes for the money. As for his prediction on what place he will get, Hollon guesses around “six or seven” as he is newer to WO but hopes to outperform his expectations.

Faith Hughes | Light blue | #FettyFaith

Hughes and her pet bunny are gearing up for the hard week ahead. She joined Senior Survivor because she is looking for fun, but mostly to avenge her sister who was a survivor two years ago but did not win. Involvment in DECA, WOSEA, FCA, and Varsity Lacrosse help create in her a competitive spirit, business mindset, and willingness to win. She sees a top five finish in her future thanks to her ability to sell and her friends in the game. She cited the Nike slogan, “Just do it” to explain her mindset entering the week.

Giana Hughes | Pale pink | #gmoney

Hughes wanted to do Senior Survivor to have fun fundraising. “It just seemed like so much fun,” Hughes said, “and knowing what it was going to… I just love helping, and Senior Survivor is a big way I can help.” At WO, Hughes can be seen with the Cheer team, with Links, and with Unified Cheer. “I’ve been cheering with the other girls for so long, and I love the sport,” Hughes says about Cheer. She notes competitiveness as her greatest strength and hopes to use her “small but mighty” mindset to place among the top three contestants.  

Elijah Reynolds | Royal blue | #fatboyfunds

Reynolds wanted to be a senior survivor because he believes it will be fun and create lots of great memories. The activities he’s involved in besides Senior Survivor are Varsity Football and I AM Academy. The abilities he says will come in handy are his hardworking and outgoing personality, as well as his confidence that he’ll be a strong seller. He ranks himself highly and believes he will finish first out of twelve. A quote he thinks best represents him comes from Sr. Elijah Reynolds: “Elijah Reynolds is the greatest one to live.”

Nathan Ward | Dark green | #WadsforWard

Ward was inspired to be a senior survivor when he saw friends participate in the show in previous years. He thought it looked fun and was recommended to participate by others. Besides Senior Survivor, Ward is involved in Varsity Soccer, plays percussion in the Band, and is a Youth Ambassador for the American Heart Association. When he was only eight years old, he unlocked every achievement possible in Mario Kart Wii. As for his abilities that will come in handy for Survivor, Ward says he makes friends easily and that having friends throughout the challenges will help him out. He says that being relatively athletic will help him out too.

Ruth VanTuinen | Yellow | #Riches4Ruth

Known for her legendary LEGO collection and unexpectedly strong poker face, VanTuinen brings a mix of creativity and quiet strategy to Survivor that will surprise anyone who underestimates her. Thanks to her friend who offered her $20 to apply, she will bring a mix of strategy and personality to go along with her poker face. Being a part of the WO Debate Team and WOSO are involvements that she believes will help her argue and outsmart the competition. She’s predicting a seventh place finish out of gut feeling, but her calm confidence may take her further. She’s fueled by the dubiously-attributed Ghandi quote, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”