KENNEWICK, Wash. -- This week's academic all-star is Southridge senior Nicole Claver. She wants to be an obstetrician. Her love to help people already has taken shape in her school's Ignite program showing new students the ropes.
"It's where you mentor the freshmen. So you earn a group and come into their English class and kind of teach them how to be a good person. I guess what you're supposed to do, like not to bully, to work hard," Claver said.
Claver has a 3.6 GPA and is a four-year varsity member of the gymnastics team. Last year Claver was a captain and had to prove to her coach why she deserved it with an essay about leadership.
"I gave a few words of what means 'leader' to me, leading by example and keeping your grades up, which she's obviously good at," said Heidi Fryer, Southridge head coach.
Nicole takes three AP classes plus other honors classes. She said which ones help her prepare for the medical field.
"AP Biology. I'm going to have to do a lot of science with the field I want to go in and it's really interesting. Last year I took anatomy and that was awesome, my favorite class."
Coach Fryer is also Nicole's navigation advisor, getting to see all sides of her student-athlete.
"It's really nice to see from a lot of different perspectives. When my athletes are students in my classes, then I get to help get their dreams academically as well as athletically," Fyer said.
