Senior soccer captain Ryan Brown has made the most of his high school career: he is a fixture of Frederick High sports programs, has taken several advanced classes, and never misses an opportunity to show up and show that he is a masterful leader.

This could describe someone with a large ego or inflated sense of self-worth, but that isn’t Ryan. Rather, this humble teen strives with every endeavor to give more than he gets.

For all four years of high school, Ryan played on the Frederick soccer team. After years of being there for his teammates during last minute victories and crushing defeats, he was the obvious choice to be captain this year.

“[Soccer has] helped me appreciate the moments I have with friends whenever I can,” Ryan noted. “It also showed my ability to be a role model for others both on and off the field.”

One of Ryan’s favorite high school memories comes from his time with the soccer team.

“This last [2024] homecoming parade was amazing, whether it was building the soccer float or hanging out with my friends before the parade and riding the float during the parade.”

Ryan hopes to continue playing soccer once he is in college, even if it is just at the recreational level.

In school, Ryan started taking advanced high school classes his freshman year with AP Human Geography and continued that trajectory all the way through his senior year. Some of the classes that Ryan has participated in are AP US history, AP Seminar, AP Calculus AB, AP US Government, AP English Language & Composition, and AP Chemistry. He took all of these before his senior year. While he has taken several AP classes, the class that was his personal favorite was AP US History with Mr. Wellington.

“[APUSH] was my favorite because of the interesting content, learning our country’s history with a great teacher that made lessons interactive and informative—plus, the friends I had in those classes.”

After high school, Ryan plans to pursue a major in civil engineering and is waiting for acceptance to Purdue University in Indiana.

When asked about his interest in civil engineering Ryan said: “My younger self had some unique interests in roads and in math, so I grew up to learn how I can apply these interests and skills to make a difference in our society through civil engineering.”

Outside of school and soccer, Ryan enjoys drawing, playing basketball with his friends, and playing video games. The message Ryan leaves to freshman and everyone else going through high school is this:

“Seize every chance you can to participate and have fun, like going to sporting events or doing extracurriculars and hanging out with friends, because sooner rather than later, it is gonna be over. Also, learn how to balance your schoolwork with your hobbies.”