With Xavier seniors in the midst of stressful college application season, they have had to reflect on how they have been well-rounded throughout high school.
This has led many of them to question what a “well-rounded” student is. Does it mean being good in math and science, or does it go beyond the classroom altogether? Does a well-rounded student have to do it all?
Zoie Alexander 26’ doesn’t think so. “I think you definitely don’t have to do everything. I think you just have to find something you love and bring it into other things.”
Alexander, to many, is the epitome of a well-rounded student. She plays basketball as well as lacrosse, she enjoys baking and selling her goods, is in Xavier’s Great Books program and is learning Mandarin in addition to French.
At the core of all of her extracurriculars is her love of exploration, which she brings into every activity.
Lamar Bryant, head varsity volleyball coach, also believes exploring can help students be more well-rounded. “Humans are not linear things, so when you have passions in other things (outside of sports) and can find value and success in them, it’s special.”
She believes that a well-rounded student is someone who is focused and driven, and can “mute” the world.
Off the court, Bryant encourages her players to find things that they love aside from volleyball. She even encourages students who have found an outside passion to share it with the team, in what is called a circle of gratitude, before every game.
Logan Duncan 26’ took sharing her outside passions with her teammates to another level. On October 28, Duncan hosted a fuzzy sock drive for cancer patients at her flag football game.
Duncan raised over 100 socks going to Cancer Support Community Arizona. This benefited her non-profit, The Lavender Ribbon Mission.
Like Alexander, Duncan took her passion, in this case medicine, and incorporated it into her love of sports and school.
Duncan was recently named AZCentral’s student of the week for her nonprofit, passion for athletics and outstanding academic achievements.
She says that a well-rounded student doesn’t necessarily have to have a 4.0 GPA and play a varsity sport, but instead is someone who has passions and gets involved in them.
“Everybody has a different definition of what makes a well-rounded student, and I think everyone sort of is in a way,” Duncan said.
Ultimately, being a well-rounded student isn’t about checking every box; it’s about finding passions and attempting to make an impact through that.
Whether it be through academics, athletics, or community service, a well-rounded student remains focused, and open-minded and gets involved in her own unique way.
