Service

SAM MEDEIROS SAM MEDEIROS

When hobbies come to mind, perhaps one finds himself imagining America’s pastime, baseball, or playing cards. Yet an unexpected and unique hobby is one that Sam Medeiros does habitually, Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. – stock market trading. Nearly two years ago, Medeiros began investing in the stock market with a little start-up money from his parents. “[I was] making decisions based on stimulus that I saw out on the market and [trading] is really interesting to me. It’s really addicting for me because it’s so fun to make money.” Medeiros continued, “That’s my quote of the day – ‘It’s just so fun to make money.’” Certainly, his quote resonates with any cash-strapped high schooler trying to make their own way in the world.

Medeiros, president of the Business Club, used the club as a platform to share his wisdom and experience with other students wishing to invest. “I wanted to interest the underclassmen in business because it’s really one of my passions and I talked about the basics of business. We talked about interest rates and things that influence the economy.” The club also used Investr, a program that Medeiros described as the “fantasy-league” of stock market trading where students trade stock with fictional funds.

Next year, he will be studying Business Administration at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. “I’ve always had a real fascination with investing, and I’ve always wanted to pursue a career in finance.” Medeiros continued, “I wanted to stay in the world of, I guess, money.” His final advice for any attempting to gain their footing in the tumultuous waters of investing is to know in what you are investing. “Put your money in something that you know exactly what the company does, or don’t invest in anything,” Medeiros said.

MADDY HANNAN MADDY HANNAN

What started with an unfortunate accident turned into a new passion that would never die for Maddy Hannan: CrossFit. “ I was doing gymnastics competitively and one of my old gymnastics coaches ran like a kids and teens program for CrossFit, and so I’d been like once or twice in my life just for fun,” Hannan said. “And then I broke my back and I wasn’t allowed to do gymnastics anymore.” During her recovery, Hannan tried CrossFit to regain her strength and fell in love with it. But CrossFit isn’t just about keeping in shape: it’s also about the competition. “Yeah, I do competitions like local ones and like national and international ones too,” Hannan said. Hannan’s favorite competition would be the CrossFit Open, an online competition where you record a video of you completing the challenges at your local CrossFit gym. “Last year there were like 2400 that were 16 to 17 year old girls,” Hannan said. “And I finished 24th. It was definitely my biggest accomplishment.” Hannan plans to continue CrossFit during her time at North Carolina State, where she received the Parks Scholarship, so she can remain furthering her skills and one day compete in The CrossFit Open. “I’m not quite that good yet, but it’s kind of like a life goal, you know, so I can maybe go once whether like on a team or when I’m 40.”

HOBBIES HOBBIES

All her life Maddie Barnes has dreamed of riding horses, but it wasn’t till a gymnastics injury that she finally got the chance in eighth grade. “And so my mom finally started to let me ride horses because I didn’t want to do gymnastics anymore after getting hurt,” Barnes said. “My first lesson was on this little pony named Zorro and I just fell in love with it right then.” Since then, Barnes has spent every day of the last three years at the Chastain Horse Park riding her horse, Duette, who passed away on February 18th. “I would be at the barn for anywhere between two to four hours everyday,” Barnes said. Duette was with Barnes through the beginner baby hunters to winning meter jumps and more. Barnes is part of a competitive show team at Chastain, traveling to shows in North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina. Barnes’ favorite memory is her first time showing at Tryon International Equestrian Center in North Carolina. “I was competing against some really well-known equestrians, like equestrians where if you hear their name you’ll recognize them,” Barnes said. Duette and Barnes placed 6th and won $60. She has been a part of the Holy Innocents’ Equestrian Team in five out of the seven years Barnes has been at HIES. Next fall, Barnes plans to attend Eckerd College in St. Petersberg, Florida and hopes to continue riding.

Franklin Stanley started high school not knowing what an f-scale was but ended his four years being what some call the “Drumline Captain”. Stanley can play practically any instrument in the percussion category, from chimes to cymbals. Stanley can recall tapping away at his blinds since he was four to the rhythm of Earth, Wind, and Fire, so it is only right that he is a master with drums. However, percussion is not his only skill; he also produces his own music. He began making music in the ninth grade with a close friend. It started as something fun to do in a state of boredom, but blossomed into something that Stanley became really passionate about, he has even gone as far as to purchase another laptop strictly for music. Stanley most typically takes inspiration from artists like Kendrick Lamar, J.Cole, and Logic when making his music. “I may not even be in the mood to write, but then I’ll hear something and I’ll automatically think of something I can do with that” he said. Stanley plans to take all of the skills that he has developed, with him to college. Stanley will study to be a recording engineer at Tulane University. As a recording engineer it is his job to capture the artists experience while recording a song in the studio. Like the perfectionist that he is, he will ensure that he has the best quality. Remember Franklin Stanley, he might be your favorite rapper’s, favorite engineer.

GREG HAYS GREG HAYS

Cum laude inductee, Greg Hays says, “I’ve always had a very strong work ethic. I like to get stuff done.” Coming to HIES as a fifth grader, when he looks back on his strongest memories he remembers the first convocation in Upper School. “There was something about that moment being in that convocation that everybody was chatting about afterwards that really, pushed into reality. The fact that... we’re growing up and we have four years of high school left where... we’re growing into our older selves,” Hays said. Now that those four years are over, he is endlessly appreciative of the opportunities and memories shared at “Holy Innocents’, the place where I grew up.” Hays recognizes his privilege, motivated by the desire to not waste his potential. “I want to take full advantage of the opportunities I’ve been presented with and use them for not only the benefit of myself, but my friends, my family and everyone around me,” Hays said. Despite his love for all things economics, the course he has found most valuable was AP Lang with Mrs. Simpson. “I was definitely -- my capabilities and abilities there. But it really pushed me. And, you know, I definitely learned. My struggles in that class set me up to learn the most for the future,” he said. Hays will be attending Washington and Lee, his first choice, in the fall, where he plans to study economics.

HAVEN DAMEWOOD HAVEN DAMEWOOD

THE C&G | 21 W hile many of us seniors have yet to find their calling, Haven Damewood certainly has found hers in the field of medicine. Damewood will be majoring in a branch of psychology at the University of Michigan in preparation to enter a physician assistant program. Since middle school, Damewood knew she wanted to work in medicine, yet had never narrowed down the specific path she wished to take. It was not until her third knee surgery that she discovered her true passion. “After my knee surgery, it was my physician assistant that actually comforted me the most because they get to spend more time with the patients.” In becoming a PA, Damewood knows that she will have a greater focus on patient care.

Already, Damewood has kickstarted her career path by enrolling in online courses to earn a certificate as a medical assistant in order to get healthcare experience on the Michigan campus. The effort that she has put into becoming a physician assistant is similarly reflected in her school work, where she has excelled. But her academic ability is “not natural smarts. It’s definitely [my] work ethic. I don’t get things right away. I [just] try really hard on everything,” Damewood said.

This past year, Damewood was a member of an alphabet soup of honor societies including NHS, SNHS, ENHS, and Rho Kappa. She has additionally left her mark on the HIES community as a servant leader. Damewood founded the Junior Junior League, a service-oriented club for girls based off of the Junior League. “The Junior League is a society for girls over twenty-one that do charity and service. And my mom was in [the organization] so I was thinking that I should recreate the Junior League, but for people under twenty-one,” Damewood said. Cleary, her work ethic and commitment toward humanitarian-related service will allow Damewood to succeed as a physician’s assistant.

ACADEMICS ACADEMICS

Ansley Diaz moved to Atlanta in the seventh grade, but her exemplary performance in the classroom started long before HIES. Diaz says that she has always been a stellar student, and her record shows that she’s also accomplished many things outside of the classroom. Diaz is within the top ten percent in the senior class, won a basketball state championship, and placed fifth in the state in discus. While some may struggle with balancing sports she finds it to help with her academics, “I think that playing a sport after school made me more motivated to finish my school work than when I wasn’t in season,” she said. “It put me into a strict routine and gave me a nice break in between the school day and homework.” Despite her dedication to success, Diaz does make mistakes. “My biggest obstacle is a lack of motivation,” she said. “Sometimes I forget the bigger picture and what I’m working towards in high school, and that’s when my academics become more challenging.” This is not unexpected. With the end of the year rapidly approaching, like all seniors, she can sometimes lose sight and begin to lose motivation. Although, it is when she thinks about her collegiate goals, or that subtle feeling of pride over getting a good grade that Diaz remembers what’s important. Diaz’s focus and drive are what led to her success at HIES, and will be what sets her apart wherever she goes.

As an Alpha Omega, Nick Reddy has witnessed firsthand how education can create a unified community. During his 15 years at HIES, Reddy’s pursuit of knowledge has been bolstered by the relationships he has built. “Having friendships and being well-respected by most of my peers has set me up for success,” Reddy said.

Through his role as leader of the Horizons Student Club, Reddy has shared his love of learning with the broader Atlanta area. Over the summer, Reddy serves as a volunteer during Horizon’s summer enrichment program at HIES in addition to planning Saturday schools and fundraisers during the school year. Like the educational community he has found at HIES, Reddy cherishes the opportunity to foster new relationships through learning with underprivileged children from Atlanta public schools. “Education can bring people together,” Reddy said. “It’s a group of students that I would have never come into contact with if it wasn’t for Horizons.”

Reddy’s own educational journey has allowed him to form valuable relationships with teachers in addition to students. Reddy cites Meredith Many as his favorite teacher after taking Many’s Algebra 2 Honors and AP Statistics courses. Beyond high school, Reddy plans on studying computer science at Duke University. Reddy favors the “problem-solving through work” aspect of computer science he was able to discover in Dan Forrestal’s AP Computer Science class his junior year.