Name: Chaz Kapfhammer

High School: Trinity High School, Louisville, Kentucky

Mascot: Shamrocks

Grade 11

Birthday: Nov. 1, 2005

Age: 16

Favorite Subject: Broadcast journalism

Extracurricular Activities: Powerlifting, jumbotron operations, stock car racing, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Kentucky United Nations Assembly and working at Subway.

Favorite characters: Omniman, Antman

Favorite Song: ‘Knock Knock” by Mac Miller

Favorite Phrase: “I Am The One Who Knocks,” by Walter White

Parents: Marcie and Frank Kapfhammer

Siblings: Trey and Izze Kapfhammer

Dream School: Yale University

If you could have a movie made about your life, what would be the storyline, and who would play you? “I feel like the storyline would be something kind of like a Dale Earnhardt-type life. Kid grew up in a big town around racing, falls in love with it, but then father gets hurt, and suddenly he becomes fearful and hesitant that that’s the career he wants to go into. I don’t know who would play me. Probably Christian Bale, don’t know, just like Christian Bale. Actually, I change my answer. Leonardo DiCaprio. He and I share a birthday. Title? I don’t think I have a title. Probably ‘Things Change’ or ‘Life Changes.’”

What are your three must haves? “Music, family and friends.”

What is the best part about social media and what is the worst part about social media?

“I feel like the best part about social media is being able to stay in contact with people you meet on trips or people that go to different schools. Just being able to catch up and see what their lives are up to. I feel like the worst part is sometimes how social media makes people feel. Some social media perpetuates untrue stereotypes and stuff like that, so I’m not a big fan of that.”

What do you admire about Gen Z and what do you dislike about it? “I love how aware and not afraid Gen Z is to speak their minds and speak for what they feel is right. But another thing is that Gen Z doesn’t know their limits. They don’t know when to stop about that, they don’t know when it’s crossing a line between someone’s personal life and professional life.”

How has the pandemic affected you? “The pandemic hit when I was in eighth grade. It’s a little silly, but I didn’t have an eighth grade graduation and our eighth grade trip we didn’t have either. It was a little tough just because you look forward to it throughout your schooling and getting there without it was just a bit disappointing and not right.”

How do you handle mental health? “I have a journal where I strive to, each night or each week, write a synopsis or something. It could be a sentence, or a word, or three paragraphs about what I feel, what I want to feel, or what I’m proud of myself for today.”

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now? “I could be doing a number of things, but the field I want to go into is broadcast journalism. I want to work on TV, hopefully some local news department. I feel like it would be fun to do national news at ABC or one of the big companies. I do want to start off a little slow. I think I’ll be a local host, and if not, I want to be playing hockey somewhere. Could be overseas or could be top tier.”

If you could live anywhere in the world for one year, where would it be and why? “Monaco, they have the Grand Prix and a lot of F1. It’s a really affluent country. The weather’s beautiful and the architecture is relatively nice. It’s relatively small, so if I lived there, I’d get to experience a little bit of everything in Monaco and have enough time to spend where I want to in the good parts of the country.”

Who or what inspires you? “I think currently, my biggest inspiration draws from actors. I’m someone who watches a crapload of films and that’s just the way I know myself. One of my current favorites is Brian Cranston. He’s most known for his work on ‘Breaking Bad’ which is one of my favorite TV shows of all time. What I really like about him is how he’s made connections through that show almost 10 years ago and still keeps up with those friends. I want to be like that. I want to meet friends and I want to meet people. I want to be successful but still remember my roots and who I grew up with. I don’t want to stray away from that.”

If you could trade places with the president of the United States for one day, what would you do? “I would pressure Russia and Ukraine, probably the most they’ve been, to reach at least a stalemate or ceasefire for the time being. I would also become an advocate for stronger gun control surrounding schools.”

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment? “My greatest personal accomplishment would probably be receiving national recognition for my news stories.”

What is your biggest regret? ”Not putting as much effort into relationships with friends and partners than I would’ve liked to. I wish I would’ve been there for them, cared a little more and not been as selfish.”