Leechburg graduate looks forward to starting college
WEST LEECHBURG
The once-distant mlestone of high school graduation is now behind Stacy Cappo. Next, Stacy will spend at least four years at Penn State University's main campus, where she expects to earn a degree in electrical engineering (math and science are her strongest subjects).
From there, she hopes to find a high-paying job, maybe designing automotive parts for a company near a beach (she loves cars and worships the sun).
Once settled in her career, Stacy plans to marry the man of her dreams (perhaps her current boyfriend Ryan -- she's never been treated this well by a guy before), and then, maybe start a family.
But at this time of uncertainty, there's one last sure thing: Before Stacy takes the first steps toward her adult life, she still has one more summer at home.
For three months, she will be surrounded by the protective walls of her childhood home, the familiar streets of West Leechburg and her parents' love.
Her days will be spent working as a lifeguard at a private Fox Chapel swim club, baby-sitting and sleeping late when her schedule allows.
Then it will be time for Stacy to leave behind what's left of her girlhood and begin life as a college woman.
It's a challenge that Stacy can't wait to face.
To signify this rite of passage, Stacy double-pierced her right ear and intends to cut and color her thick, blond hair - outward signs that will make plain she is about to begin a new and important journey.
"I'm out of high school, and it's the best feeling," Stacy said, curling up on her living room chair dressed in a brand-name T-shirt and short shorts. "I need a change."
Stacy's mother, Krys Cappo, said her daughter still has common-sense skills to learn before she will be ready for life at Penn State.
"She's done laundry twice on her own, and that was as a punishment," Krys Cappo said, laughing. "Like any mother whose baby is about to leave, it's very difficult to think that she's going so far away. But it's loss of authority that's the hardest to deal with. One minute you can ground her, and the next minute she's out on her own."
The youngest daughter of a retired schoolteacher (father) and sales representative at New Kensington Steel (mother), Stacy is the type of girl who some girls love to hate.
She is strikingly attractive with a wholesome, long-legged beauty. Stacy also is determined, intelligent and, for better or worse, very outspoken.
"If Stacy is opinionated, it's my fault, because I always wanted my daughters to know that their beliefs matter," Krys Cappo said. "When I was growing up, girls were just supposed to cook, clean and be quiet."
Stacy was a member of the volleyball and softball teams, cheerleading squad and student government at Leechburg Area High School. She graduated this month sixth in her class.
Stacy said her success came from not allowing other people to make decisions for her. People such as an ex-boyfriend, who tried to convince her to have sex with him before she was ready. Or a jealous classmate who suggested to Stacy that she was stuck-up for not drinking.
"My parents pushed morals into me and taught me to always stand up for what I believe in," Stacy said. "I don't let other people talk me into doing stuff I don't want to do. I can see the consequences of drinking your life away and sleeping around that other girls don't. That's a gift that came early."
"What I'm most proud about Stacy is that she always has been a leader and never a follower," Krys Cappo said. "She always has been in charge of her life. We just tried to mold it as constructively as we could."
Stacy was forced to slow down this spring after undergoing surgery to repair the anterior- cruciate ligament in her right knee, which she tore on the first day of gym class.
The surgery left her bedridden for two weeks and on crutches for a month. She missed her final softball season and relied on her parents and friends to drive her to physical therapy five days per week.
"It hurt so unbelievably bad," said Stacy, pointing to the dark scar bisecting her tanned knee. "And it still hurts every single day."
Stacy's maturity and strong will don't make her any more or less of a fun-loving teenage girl.
She swaps clothes and gossip with her best friend. She works out at the gym regularly and worries about her weight, despite her thin build.
She gushes about her boyfriend, Ryan Griffin, 19, of Lower Burrell, whom she met during a trip to Penn State. Stacy said she visited Ryan at State College on the weekends, sometimes without her parents' knowledge.
"He's so sweet and he always opens the door for me and pulls out my chair and makes me feel so special," said Stacy, in one deep breath. "My friend said when I first met him that I 'cheesed' the whole time I talked to him."
Stacy's cell phone (with bills as high as $200) ranks second among her favorite things - a close second to her white Pontiac Sunfire, an 18th birthday gift from her parents.
When there is nothing better to do -- or she feels upset -- Stacy climbs in her car and drives around, with "anything but country music" blasting from her souped-up speakers.
"My car is my favorite thing," she said. "I like the way it feels and sounds. When I drive by slowly, people stop and look at me."
At least for Stacy's first year of college, to her chagrin, the Sunfire will stay at home in Leechburg. But so much else awaits her at Penn State - her boyfriend, new friends and countless academic and extracurricular opportunities.
"I don't like change," said Stacy, scrunching up her flawless face. "But college will be fun. I'm ready to leave here."
