As a student-athlete, it is not always easy managing the stresses of turning in homework on time and making sure I get my morning lift in. Along with that comes the extracurriculars and things I do outside of school.

During my freshman and sophomore years of high school, I hadn’t given much thought to doing things outside of school or sports, so I just stuck to that, but my junior year of high school was a real eye-opener for me, which is when I truly started to find myself and passions. 

See, last year I ended my sophomore year on a high note. I had just competed in the HHSAA State Track and Field Championships and placed second for the Girls Pole Vault and then received a silver medal. Along with that, my 4 x 100 meter relay team placed seventh, earning us a bronze medal at the state level. I also ended my year with a 4.0 GPA and more knowledge than I started with at the beginning of the year.

But, times have changed. Sophomore year is nothing compared to junior year.

Something in my head told me to get more involved in my school community and to join lots of clubs and to stop being afraid of going out of my comfort zone. So, that’s exactly what I did.

For instance, last school year AP English Language and Composition was offered as a new class and my Honors English 10 teacher told my class that we should sign up for it. Initially, I thought there was no way I was doing that and was freaked out over just the connotation of the term “AP.” 

Despite the anxiety, my teacher encouraged me to just take a stab at it and assured me that I would be just fine (shoutout to Kumu Yats). Now, here I am writing my first blog in my AP English classroom and realizing it was a great decision on my part. 

This year I’m pushing more boundaries, I’m not the diffident sophomore I was just eight months ago.

I am the historian for the National Honor Society, cross-country team captain, and track and field team captain. As an active member of six different clubs, I take part in various community service. I was even selected to receive the Warrior Mindset Award.

By simply (not that simple) going out of my comfort zone and trying new things, my personality has grown, and I have more confidence and trust in myself. 

Through trusting myself and my abilities as a student-athlete, I hope to have achieved my academic and athletic goals by the end of this, my junior year. 

Through this blog, I hope I can share more about it as the year goes on, so stay tuned every month for updates as Allie takes action!