08/27/2026
BRENALEN | 2027 | BEMIDJI
I've watched this girl grow up from a shy and a tad quiet but spunky girl who loved wrestling into a beautiful young woman, and to say how wonderful it was seeing her smiling and laughing so much IN a dress makes me SO happy!
From day one, my purpose has been to showcase these kids not in some trend or fad, or carbon copy of every other senior in high school, but as who THEY are. What makes them laugh, what they work hard on becoming, and even what their favorite thing to drink is. Brenalen LOVES Dr. Pepper...but who doesn't, right? But she REALLY loves the Dr! Huge shout out to the guys working at Coke in Bemidji on her session, who let us do a few of her photos surrounded by the delicious beverage, while she held vintage pop they found online. Her laughter is the best!
Wrestling and cross country are what this girl works her tail off at. Running almost every day this summer, we did some on the XC trails at BHS. While there, we ran into coach Ryan Aylesworth. I know this is Brenalen's sneak peek, but I need to say a few words about Coach Ryan. He was out running, leading by example, and stopped to chat with us. Ryan is one of the kindest, most genuine people I have ever met-not just when you see them, but always. He leads with a smile, he is a born encourager, and this coach exemplifies what coaching is. He makes BHS a better place by mentoring all these young adults on cross country trails. Brenalen really lucked out, as she has both Coach Ryan and Coach Rance Bahr, her wrestling coach. Rance is also one of those incredible coaches who wants kids to not just succeed on the mat, but in life. He pushes, inspires, leads with integrity, and makes kids better who have been in his program.
I think the above paragraph was on my heart because of all of the coaching changes that have all hit this year, and the rumors surrounding the "why". At the heart of BHS are SOOOO many absolutely fantastic coaches who certainly don't do it for the money, but are there because they believe in these kids and want to help them succeed. Coaches Ayelsworth and Bahr are two who have been around for decades and continue to be a positive influence in the lives of these kids. THANK YOU!!
Sorry girl, back to you...I only have one more thing to say: YOU WORE A DRESS!! And you rocked that white dress! I am so proud of who you're becoming, and hope you have the most awesome senior year!!
