Athlete: Maile Russell
Senior Maile Russell seems to have found a place competing in three very unrelated sports.
Russell first got involved with the swim team and soccer at a young age. “My sister started doing [swim team], so me and my brother both started doing it at the same time,” Russell said.
Russell’s dad played soccer for most of his life, and it became a family activity. According to Russell, she played a lot of recreational soccer with her siblings.
As with wrestling, Russell started last year. “Two of my friends were telling me I should try it, and so then one day I showed up to practice and it was really fun,” Russell said.
To Russell, sports are a big part of her life and have many benefits besides “getting jacked.”
“They provide community,” Russell said. “A lot of my friends and really long-lasting friendships have come from playing sports.”
Russell found ways to apply training in one sport to another. “Wanting to keep improving and learning how to fail, I was able to carry that kind of mentality over into the wrestling season,” Russell said. “I’ve seen myself getting better and better.”
Artist: Rex Regan
Junior Rex Regan’s love for creating visual pieces started at a young age.
“I saw my dad drawing, and I liked that he could draw. So I started drawing,” Regan said.
Although his dad served as the first spark in his artistic career, Regan found most of his inspiration from the human anatomy books that he studied.
Currently, Regan focuses more on abstract and impressionist work. “You could say they are people. There are definitely faces in it, but it’s a lot of abstract stuff I’m working on right now,” Regan, commenting on his recent projects, said.
Regan is a part of Arcata Arts Institute and has taken almost every art class available to him. According to Regan, he enjoys working with big canvases, they allow him to put more effort into his pieces, more emotion, and more of himself.
“It’s pretty radical,” junior and friend of Regan, Geovanni Lampro said.
Activist: Dylan Dickerson
Senior Dylan Dickerson is passionate about creating a safe campus culture and advocating for the liberation of Palestine by going to marches.
At school, Dickerson is a part of the Check-It Club, aimed at preventing sexual assault and creating a consent culture on campus.
“I use a lot of my art to express how I feel about these issues,” Dickerson said.
Dickerson makes stickers about the ongoing genocide in Palestine as well as other issues she finds important like LGBTQ+ rights. Dickerson even entered her stickers into the CCLL Regional Industry Challenge and won.
Dickerson spends a lot of time advocating for what she believes in, yet doesn’t think activism is a possible career for her.
Dickerson suggests that using unbiased news sources like AP News is the best way to get involved and be an active citizen. “Make sure you know what’s going on in the world,” Dickerson said.
Academic: Rowan Magnuson
Currently taking 7 AP/Honors courses, junior Rowan Magnuson has a predicted GPA of 5.0 this year.
“I just get the work done. I have lots of other things other than school I’d rather be doing. But if I’m stuck in school[I’d] rather make the most of it,” Magnuson said.
In the future, Magnuson hopes to study engineering. He spends a great deal of time learning about engines and experimenting with building things by watching YouTube videos and doing online research.
Last year, Magnuson and his friends created a kinetic sculpture which they raced in Humboldt County’s Kinetic Sculpture Grand Championship. Teammate Bodhi Jennings refers to Manguson’s contributions as “creative genius.”
Magnuson is currently into finding and fixing vintage dirt bikes which he resells. He refers to his process as “flipping them.”
Magnuson’s impressive GPA is nothing short of incredible when it comes to all the things he does outside of school.
