November 2015 Athletes of the Month: Amanda Paavola and Spence Schultz
Amanda Paavola
For senior Amanda Paavola, athletics has provided her with many life lessons — including time management. “One of the biggest challenges I’ve discovered has been determining what it truly means to be a year-round student athlete,” said Amanda, who has received several honors as a volleyball player. “Doing well in school has always been important to me but can sometimes be challenging when sports has such a prominent presence in my life as well. Maintaining a healthy balance between athletics and academics has always been difficult, but I've learned that to be successful, I've had to discover my limits and learn how to acknowledge them.” And it appears she has been quite successful.
With a 3.7 GPA, Amanda is a Full-IB Diploma Candidate, a member of the National Honors Society, and past president of the Key Club. She hopes to play volleyball for a Division 1 or Division 2 school and plans to major in chemical oceanography and minor in marine biology.
After volunteering with the Seattle Aquarium Youth Ocean Advocates this past summer, Amanda said her passion for oceanography blossomed. “I'm considering becoming a marine chemist, which basically means that I want to study how the oceans were formed and what chemicals and such determine their composition today,” said Amanda.
Reflecting on her years as a volleyball player, Amanda is grateful to have been a member of her school’s team these past few years. “I'm beginning to realize just how much this sport, this team, and these coaches mean to me and am looking back at the past three years with absolutely no regret.”
Spencer Schultz
As a football player and a wrestler, senior Spencer Schultz has learned that it is important to lead by example — a philosophy that has earned him the role of captain on both teams this year. “People sometimes want different things out of playing a sport than what you want out of it, and if your goals don’t line up it can be frustrating,” said Spencer. “I have had to learn to focus on taking care of my own responsibilities so that I can lead by example.”
To succeed takes discipline and balance, and it is evident by Spencer’s academic record that he has handled it all very well. He is enrolled in many advanced courses and has a 3.82 GPA and credits his teachers with guiding him along the path to success. “Just like in athletics I have had many teachers who have served as role models, and I feel extremely fortunate to have been supported by so many people,” said Spencer who plans to pursue a degree in criminology with the ultimate goal of becoming a police officer, detective or FBI agent.
Whatever path Spencer chooses, he is sure to be a success.
“Wrestling and football have taught me the value of competing, especially when you find yourself on your back and the only way to change that is by fighting off it,” said Spencer.
