From one Nest, to the Next
Loving Carries Distinction to Morehead State
By Sonya Newman
Ashland Beacon
Graduation Day and the hustle and bustle surrounding it can be a bittersweet time for everyone. Kiera Loving, a graduating senior at Fairview High School, is focusing on all things sweet in regards to what she is leaving behind and what she is moving toward. As she says goodbye to the school she has dedicated so much of her time and energy to, from her impressive sports accolades to her many academic accomplishments, she excitedly looks ahead at where life will take her next.
As one of a few given, the distinction of Valedictorian of her class, Kiera shared, “I am honored, relieved, and proud of how hard I have worked.”
Kiera’s hard work has surely been Fairview’s gain, both athletically and academically. In sports, she can proudly boast: All-Area Honorable Mention in both basketball and volleyball, KHSAA Academic All-State First Team, KHSAA Triple Threat Award, school record for assists in Volleyball, 1,000 Rebound Club, and The DJ and Nieda Preston Athlete of the Year Award. Her many academic achievements include: Principal’s Highest Distinction List, President’s Award for Educational Excellence, Soaring Eagle, Honor Guard, and WSAZ’s Best of the Class.
Senior year has brought some challenges for her, as well. She tore her ACL and had a partial MCL tear during basketball season, causing her season as well as softball season to be cut short.
“Although her injury deprived not just her, but all of us of probably witnessing one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of Fairview Athletics—averaging a double-double three years in a row and leading the entire state of Kentucky in rebounding. These are great accomplishments but still don’t define who she is,” Fairview Assistant Principal and former Girls Basketball Coach Mo Mullins shared, “In the future when I think of Kiera Loving, I won’t remember her rebounds and her points. I will never forget her leadership and her genuine love and concern for her teammates and friends.”
“What a great young lady! Not only is she an extremely nice person, Kiera is a tremendous student-athlete. She works as hard in the classroom as she does in the gym,” noted Fairview Athletic Director and Volleyball coach, Rick Lambert. He cited her tremendous love for volleyball and incredible work ethic as the fuel for growth into a player who is the all-time school leader in assists (2,564), which nearly doubles the previous record. “She will be sadly missed,” Lambert continued, “As coaches, teachers, and administrators there are some kids that stay with us and we will never forget them. Kiera Loving will be one of those student-athletes that will haunt me the rest of my life, and I mean that in a great and positive way. I feel totally blessed to have had my path cross with such an unforgettable human being.”
Kiera’s advice for those who will graduate in coming years, “Always be yourself, and enjoy every moment. It goes by way to fast.”
The future looming, Loving will remain an Eagle, as she spreads the wings developed at Fairview to take flight at Morehead State University, where she plans to obtain a degree in Imaging Sciences to become an ultrasound technician. With her reputation and resume paired with a big dream for the future, the path ahead for Kiera Loving is sure to be a very bright one.