Nate Funkhouser

Gig Harbor High School senior has passion for service, is a dedicated leader and top scholar

Nate Funkhouser is as a passionate leader who is dedicated to helping others. His list of community service activities includes hundreds of hours volunteering for a wide range of activities, such as tutoring, serving on Gig Harbor High School’s Associated Student Body and mentoring as part of the AIDS Peer Education Exchange club.

“An activist, leader and strong student, Nate Funkhouser is a young man whose passions define him,” said Molly Pugh, a Gig Harbor High School English teacher . “He is a force to be reckoned with, one that will undoubtedly impact the world in significant and meaningful ways.”

Funkhouser got his first taste of community service after he joined APEX. The group is competitive: last year, about 80 students tried out for 15 spots.

Funkhouser said being part of the club helped him realize a passion for other issues. He has spent at least three hours a week just with this group — and many more hours volunteering as a Spanish tutor, Young Life leader, Rachel’s Challenge Compassion Crew, Pierce County AIDS Foundation, Spanish Club and others.

Funkhouser also is a star athlete with various achievements in both cross country and track and field. He said he considered playing tennis, but his cousins — cross country runners — persuaded him to try their sport, and he got hooked. As a senior, he was the captain of the Tides’ cross country team, which took seventh place at the Class 4A state meet.

“It took me four years to get to that point,” said Funkhouser, who has two cross country varsity letters. “I wasn’t very good at first, and I put a lot of hard work into it. My team was very supportive and pushed me to the next level, and eventually I could see myself getting better.”

Funkhouser plans to study international relations and Spanish, with a dream of working at a U.S. consulate. He likes cultures and travel, and he was part of an exchange group to Germany.

He also hopes to study several more languages while he’s in college.

“Nate represents what is great about his generation: a willingness to try new things, explore new territory and hold themselves accountable to a more global community,” Pugh said. “ ... Nate fills his days with service, be it in the form of volunteering at Pierce County AIDS Foundation, making posters for an upcoming event at our school, or working at the local theater. All the while, he exhibits great passion for what he does.”

Nate Funkhouser

Education: Senior, Gig Harbor High School

GPA: 3.8

Parents: Debbie Macdonald and Mark Funkhouser

Activities/achievements: Volunteer for Pierce County AIDS Foundation, APEX, middle school Young Life leader; Spanish tutor; ASB; cross country (four years), team captain, track and field (four years); Spanish Club vice president; Rachel’s Challenge Compassion Crew; National Honor Society; Mid-Day Rotary Student of the Month; German foreign exchange program.

Favorite teacher: Eleanor Ledbetter and Molly Pugh, “because their passion for teaching is evident daily, and they extend their lessons beyond a classroom setting,” Funkhouser said.

Best thing about high school: “My high school is unique in the sense that it provides such a safe environment for students to grow academically and personally, which is an aspect that can be hindered by a school’s size,” he said. “However, GHHS maintains this environment despite its size.”