By: Hunter Ferguson

Weatherford academic Addison Elwick recently completed an interviewed with VYPE.

VYPE: What are your personal goals for the year?

I would like to finish my senior year by maintaining good grades in all my classes and savoring every last moment I have in all of my school activities. I also hope to spend my summer preparing as much as possible for my first year of college while also making the most out of my last few months living at home with my family.

VYPE: What is your favorite athletic memory?

My favorite memory of the academic team was taking all of our online academic tournament tests in the library. It was fun to figure out and discuss the answers with my teammates as opposed to usually having to figure it out on my own for the quiz bowls. There were also always plenty of jokes cracked and we always had fun while we were working.

VYPE: What teammate has left the biggest impression on you and why?

The teammate that left the biggest impression on me was definitely my friend Ava. She’s one of the smartest people I know and she always knew how to make our quiz bowls and online tests fun and lighthearted even if we didn’t do the best. She is very driven and ambitious and she always works hard at whatever she does.

VYPE: What is your favorite part of being on this team?

I love that being a part of this team allowed me to meet people that I would have normally never met. A lot of my teammates are underclassmen, with whom I don’t share any classes. I thoroughly enjoy the time I spend with them while participating in our academic team activities.

VYPE: Do you participate in any community service projects?

Perhaps my favorite service project I participate in is my school’s annual SPUD Week. SPUD stands for “Students Performing Unselfish Deeds,” and it is our town’s biggest fundraiser. Each year the high school’s Key Club chooses a student from our district who needs financial help in one way or another. The Key Clubs at the middle school and high school then plan a week full of activities that students can pay to participate in. We also go to local businesses that will often give a percentage of the profits they make that week to our SPUD recipient. We even have a local snow cone stand and a local tea shop that will make a special snow cone/drink based on our SPUD recipient’s favorite superhero or princess! We also design shirts that include the child’s favorite interests and sell them around town. I love being involved in this and knowing that I am using my resources and time to help others.

VYPE: What Clubs or Campus groups are you involved with and why?

In addition to the academic team, I am also in the Key Club, Student Council, National Honor Society, and the golf team. I choose to participate in the Key Club, Student Council, and National Honor Society because I feel like it is a way for me to acknowledge that my circumstances are much better than a lot of people around me and I can help those who need it. As for the golf team, I have always loved golfing with my twin sister and my dad so joining the team has allowed us to spend even more time together. I have also made so many friends there and I love getting to travel to different courses and play with them.

VYPE: What has your sport taught you that you use in your daily life?

I believe that working on the academic team has really allowed me to work on my communication and teamwork skills. Whenever we do the online tournament tests, we all have to work together and hear everyone’s input in order for us all to decide what we think the best answer is. Even during quiz bowls, when we can’t communicate with each other, we always decide beforehand who is best at what subject so that they can study that area and be ready to answer any questions that might come up about it. We all work together to make sure everyone’s opinion and knowledge is taken into consideration.

VYPE: What is the best advice that anyone has given you?

I don’t remember who told me this, maybe one of my parents, but they said that while I cannot control what others actions, I can control how I respond to their actions. That sort of changed my entire outlook on life. I now believe that it is best to just go with the flow as much as you can. That will make your life much less stressful and things will almost always work out in the end.

VYPE: Who inspires you and why?

Someone that inspires me, or rather some people, are my friends Amelia and Shelby. They are very adventurous, outgoing, and friendly to everyone, and those are values that I try to instill in my own life every day. I am a lot more introverted and reserved than them, but they constantly inspire me to try new things and meet new people.