Logan Reardon

“Quirky, fun, loyal.” Those are three words used by Olivia Tyler to describe her friend Kourtni Tucker. Tucker, a 17-year-old student from Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach, has a wide array of interests and stories to tell.

Tucker said she was born “technically in Portsmouth,” but has lived in Virginia Beach her entire life. She has participated in gymnastics for the last 12 years and was the co-captain for her high school team last year. Other interests include playing video games, writing, working and listening to music.

Tucker’s interest in video games tops nearly everything in her life.

“Kourtni loves video games, to the point that she actually wore a costume from ‘Legend of Zelda’,” Tyler said.

Her love for “Pokémon” was immediate. She also enjoys mostly role-playing games like “Kingdom Hearts” or the “Mother” series.

Tucker writes for Kempsville High’s newspaper, “The Treaty.” She said she produces two or three articles each issue but prefers to write poetry on her own time. She enjoys writing free-form and haiku poems.

Tucker spends a lot of her time working at the Autobell Car Wash in Chesapeake; she has been working there for seven months. It is her job to vacuum out and wipe down the cars that come through.

Tucker’s music taste includes “pretty much everything,” she said, but her most listened to genres are alternative and rock. She likes to listen to Blink-182, Fall Out Boy and, her favorite, There For Tomorrow.

Her favorite song by There For Tomorrow is “Pages.” “It’s such a boring title for such an amazing song,” Tucker said.

Tucker wants to pursue a career in journalism or early childhood education. She is planning to complete her general education at Tidewater Community College in Virginia Beach, then attend Old Dominion University in Norfolk for her bachelor’s degree.

Bio: Logan Reardon is a rising senior at Landstown High School in Virginia Beach.