Oaks Christian graduate turns her hardship into strength





ALUMNA—Kendal Koorenny, who was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2014, will graduate from Oaks Christian this year.

ALUMNA—Kendal Koorenny, who was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2014, will graduate from Oaks Christian this year.

A golfer who was set to excel as a high school student-athlete at Oaks Christian School, Kendal Koorenny discovered new inspiration and purpose after she was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2014.

The tick-borne bacterial illness can cause headaches, fatigue, joint and bone pain, and food allergies. If caught early it can be cured with a dose of antibiotics, but Kendal believes she contracted the disease about 10 years ago. Her diagnosis came three years ago.

Despite persistent pain, and the side effects of the medications and injections that doctors prescribed after her diagnosis, the Westlake Village resident is determined to carry on.

Because the disease caused her to develop intolerance to certain foods, she began removing gluten, dairy and soy from her diet and experimenting in the kitchen. She created a blog and social media brand, “Health and High Heels,” to share recipes and raise awareness of Lyme disease. The brand has won an award from Wego Health, a company that advocates for patients.

Through the blog, Kendal documents her personal journey and seeks to inspire others to pursue health and wellness in their own lives.

“We all have some sort of struggle that we’re fighting in life, but there is hope and there is joy despite the pain and trials,” said Kendal, an honors student, who will attend UC Davis with plans to double major in entomology and nutritional science.

Entomology is the study of insects, which can cause disease around the world.

Upon completing her undergraduate studies, Kendal hopes to earn a doctorate and help find cures for infectious diseases caused by insects and other small parasites such as ticks, which are arachnids.

“My dream would be to cure my own disease,” she said.

Nearly all of the 238 graduates of the private Christian school in Westlake Village were accepted to a four-year college.

Collectively, students earned $6.5 million in scholarships. They also completed 15,000 hours of community service and will attend 98 schools in 29 states and two countries.

Kendal said ambition, unity and spirit are some of the hallmarks of the Class of 2017.

“Our class is very united; we’re all encouraging of each other. (And) as we go out into the world, it makes us want to support each other as we pursue our own endeavors,” she said.

“For me, my fight has been Lyme disease, but I have learned to overcome it. Even though it’s been one of the most difficult parts of my life, it’s also given me purpose, which has been a blessing in disguise,” said the Oaks Christian graduate, who served on her school’s honor board, which promotes academic integrity.

Kendal came to Oaks in sixth grade. She competed in mock trial, served as a Lion’s Voice student ambassador, created community service projects and was voted by her peers to be the 2016-17 homecoming queen.

She won second place for her role as journalist in the 2016 Ventura County mock trial competition and was appointed team manager for the OCS team in her senior year.

“I learned a lot not only about the judicial system, but also about public speaking and creating coherent, logical arguments and, more than that, it was also a team of friends,” said Kendal, the eldest daughter of Mark and Heidi Koorenny. Kendal’s sister, Claire, will be a sophomore at Oaks Christian this fall.

Kendal and her peers celebrated their achievements with family, friends and faculty on June 1. The commencement ceremony took place at Calvary Community Church in Westlake Village.


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