Meet Anna Pethel! Anna recently graduated from Georgia Tech and previously attended Lakeview Academy. Her parents are Tim and Paige Pethel and she has three siblings. We want to congratulate Anna and her family on her graduation and best wishes in the future.

Question: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
Answer: “My parents are Tim and Paige Pethel, and I have three siblings: Sara, Coleman, and Max (he is also a
Class of 2020 graduate at Lakeview!) Since Max followed suit in his college decision, all four of us kids
are Ramblin’ Wrecks from Georgia Tech.”

Q: What are your plans after graduation?
A: “I am taking a gap year before I pursue my doctorate in occupational therapy. I have plans to take
some post-baccalaureate classes, travel, and work to get more OT-related hours in to strengthen my
application during my gap year. I’ll attend OT school in either Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, or South
Carolina.”

Q: What are two of your favorite restaurants in our community?
A: “Johnny’s BBQ and Longstreet…living down the street from both is a major perk.”

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
A: “Before the pandemic hit, I had an incredible safari trip to Tanzania planned for the end of May. It’s
been postponed til later this year, but if I could, I’d want to go there right now because I’ve been looking
forward to it for so long! Plus, since Tanzania is in the southern hemisphere, the weather is a lot more
moderate there right now than it will be when I go later this year. I’ve always dreamt of breathing in the
wild air, seeing the Milky Way in the pitch dark night sky, and experiencing the circle of life in its purest
form in Africa. I’d pack my bag and go in an hour’s notice right now if I could!”

Q: What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
A: “I love movies like The King’s Speech and The Imitation Game. My favorite TV shows are The Crown
and Game of Thrones, hands down.”

Q: If you were asked to give advice to your senior class and the younger students at your school, what
would you say?
A: “Everything will be okay. You are significant and loved. Strive to be constantly learning. Be intentional
about your relationships. Make kindness and honesty your best qualities. And one of my favorite quotes:
“I cannot fathom how tall your trees could grow if you stopped chopping the tops in fear of someone
else cutting you down.” (Tyler Knott Gregson)”

Q: If you were able to be cast as yourself into a television show or series, what show would you want
to be in?
A: “I would want to be a Shark on Shark Tank because I love seeing the creative business ideas people
come up with, and well, it would be fun to have enough money to hand out $100k like it’s pocket
change.”

Q: If you could choose anyone to have lunch with, who would you choose? Why? And where, locally,
would you meet for this lunch?
A: “I would ask Ravi Zacharias to lunch at Bluefin so I could pick his brain and talk faith in a quiet and
comfy place. His organization, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, has hosted multiple week-long
events at Georgia Tech called Think Week where students are invited to question and learn how the
Christian faith is defended against some really tough questions. Ravi Zacharias has thoughtful, logical,
and such enlightened answers to so many hard questions that plague this complicated world. I loved
Think Week and listening to him speak live at the 2016 Passion Conference, so the opportunity to sit
down and talk with him would be amazing.”

Q: What is your favorite thing about our community?
A: “I love that the Gainesville community is close-knit and so supportive of one another. Living in
Midtown Atlanta for the past four years of college, I really missed that level of connection and
neighborly love that goes back generations. Gainesville is full of people who have your back anytime you
need anything and want to see you succeed. It’s really the perfect hometown.”

Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
A: “I see myself graduated from occupational therapy school as Dr. Pethel, chasing happiness first and
foremost with people I love by my side and eventually a couple kids crawling around my feet.”

Q: What is something on your bucket list?

A: “As much as it terrifies me, I want to swim with whales someday. I think the wonder of the moment
would overtake the fear in my head. It would be totally uncharted territory for me and make me feel so
small. And that’s something that would absolutely take my breath away.”

Q: What is your go to band / singer when you cant decide what to listen to?
A:”Taylor Swift. She was actually the opening act for Rascal Flatts in 2008, the first concert I ever went
to. I know every word to every one of her songs. No shame here at all.”

Q: Favorite month? favorite holiday? and best single day on the calendar?
A: “I love the month of June because it feels so bright and happy. It’s a shorter month, so it always
passes by too quick, but it’s like a breath of fresh summer air. (My birthday is in June, so I may be
biased…). My favorite holiday is Christmas because I love the buildup and the ambience of warmth and
joy that time of year. The best single day on the calendar has to be the day that a new season of a really
good show is released.”

Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
A: “All of my friends I grew up with in Gainesville. I’m still incredibly close with many of them even after
college. I met one of my best friends in 5th grade, and I was a bridesmaid in her wedding last year. I met
another one of my best friends in 8th grade and we became freshman roommates and sorority sisters at
Georgia Tech. No matter what, these girls feel like home to me and I don’t know where I’d be without
them!”

Q: What is something you want to do as soon the pandemic is over?
A: “As soon as this pandemic is over, I want to give a big hug to everyone I haven’t been able to hug in
months. I also want to walk across the stage for a real graduation at Georgia Tech.”

Q: Who inspires you to be better?
A: “My parents have always pushed me to be the best I can be. They instilled strong ideals in me and set
great examples for me and my siblings. My dad has an incredible work ethic and is calm and collected.
My mom serves others selflessly and is motivated by passion. When I make a wrong choice or feel
defeated, they encourage me in love and help me set things back where they should be. They inspire me
to be better because they support me in all my endeavors and I want to make them proud.”