With the inability to fully accomplish his role as Voice of Whitney, Lukas Tallent’s senior year unexpectedly takes a turn due to his knee injury that happened during one of the first home varsity football games. While running with a flag in his hand to kick off the game, he slips and shatters his kneecap.

Since middle school, Tallent had been looking forward to running for voice and making an influential commitment to our school culture. 

“I went to a football game in eighth grade and knew [being a leader] was something I wanted to do,” Tallent said. “I was most looking forward to football games and now I’m looking forward to being able to enhance everyone’s high school experience.”

The moment Tallent knew that his plans for the rest of his senior year would be slightly affected was at the beginning of the Twelve Bridges varsity football game at home when he got injured. Running out with the rest of the football team, he tripped on a cheer sign and hit his knee against the concrete wall in front of the student section, resulting in a broken kneecap. In that moment the adrenaline distracted him from his knee disfigurement until he stood up and felt a wave of fear from his knee buckling. 

“We’ve had to find some workarounds and try new ways to get people going but besides that our goal has stayed the same,” fellow Voice of Whitney, Joe Ligas said. “

\Trying to keep people engaged while having the best experience they can.”

Not only does this affect Tallent, but it also has caused some changes regarding X-factor planning. After Tallent was rushed to the hospital, X-factor commissioner Angie Molinaro, had to worry about finding a few students to quickly fill in his place for the ongoing game. She chose Gavin Raleigh, Noah Raquel and Brycen Wall.

“Basically, it kind of set us back, because we had to figure out a way to keep the student section going after his injury,” Molinaro said. “We had to figure out a way to make stuff easier for him to get around campus when we film stuff, so that it doesn’t do more harm to his leg, and then have more people have to step up for certain jobs that Lukas can’t do.”

With a difference in how Tallent proceeds fulfilling his role, not being able to complete physical related tasks also influences the things he does outside of school.

“I haven’t been able to drive normally until recently, I’ve only been able to drive with my left foot,” Tallent said. “I’ve also had to keep my leg brace locked [to keep my leg extended] making me a slow walker, but it’s changed recently because I’ve finally been cleared to walk with an unlocked brace. And the deciding factor on whether I dive or not is recovery because I want to meet my goal of placing higher in the section five meet. However, recovery can take anywhere from 6 to 9 months.”

With still having to face a few challenges, Tallent’s injury hasn’t affected his spirit and energy. He mentioned that being hype can be a challenge without jumping or running but it’s not the only factor that being voice requires. He can still have fun and still has a working left leg that he can sometimes jump with instead.

“You could tell he was frustrated and kind of disappointed that he couldn’t be as active as before,” Activities Director, Mr. Jesse Armas said. “But once he adjusted and found new ways to contribute, his energy came back. He’s still just as positive and fun to be around, and even with the injury, he keeps everyone hyped up. It honestly shows how strong his leadership really is.”