A Golden Eagle Making Eagles

Girls golfer Maggie Graves dominates on the fairway

Paxtyn Mangus, Staff Writer

Photo by Life’s Journey Photography

Maggie Graves is a seventeen year old here at FHS. Maggie plays golf for the Golden Eagles Girls Golf Team and is an avid member of National Honors Society and plays a large role in the school community by spreading positivity and kindness everywhere she goes. With a very high GPA and being enrolled in multiple AP and honor classes Maggie is a very well rounded student athlete.

After she graduates highschool, Maggie is looking to go to a four-year college to major in biology. Graves says, “I have a drive and passion for the science field and find joy in the study. I want to find a good career that pays really well, and has a good work and life balance.” Some options she is considering for a career field are dental assistant, orthodontist, and other medical professions.

One thing that people forget about the class of 2023 is that covid started our freshman year so we have lacked a “normal” school year for three out of four years of our high school careers. Maggie expresses her feelings about covid: “Covid has impacted my high school experience by allowing me to push myself in school and become closer to my family. Personally I struggled paying attention with online classes and getting to go to school was something I missed during the pandemic.”

As people go through life there is always a key event that shapes them into the person they are today, Graves says that the event that has changed her was, moving to Frederick and being able to make new friends and adapt into living with my grandparents and mom. I was able to become who I am today and go through high school at Frederick.

As a student athlete, it can be complicated to juggle all aspects of school, sports, and keeping a healthy social life. Maggie claims that managing these things has been very difficult but, “ I definitely gained strong time management skills through everything I do on a daily basis.

Maggie Graves class of 2023 senior

As people go through life there is always a key event that shapes them into the person they are today, Graves says that the event that has changed her was, moving to Frederick and being able to make new friends and adapt into living with my grandparents and mom. Although this event has changed her, Maggie says that this has also been the most challenging, “I moved away from my childhood home in middle school to help take care of my grandparents in Frederick. I left a lot of my childhood friends behind and lost connection with them. We moved in with my grandparents to help keep them safe and healthy. I still currently live with them 5 years later and it has impacted my life greatly but helped me learn many responsibilities.”  I was able to become who I am today and go through high school at Frederick. Maggie has attended FHS since her freshman year, and she says that she will miss her friends and teachers the most after she graduates.

In Maggie’s free time she enjoys playing golf, this spring will be her second year being part of the golf team and she says that starting golf her junior year was definitely out of her comfort zone but she is very happy she started. For every athlete there is usually a person who inspired them to play their desired sport or a specific reason. Maggie says, “Looking up to my grandpa and seeing how much he enjoyed going out on the golf course made me want to join the golf team.” She describes golf as, “So much more than just hitting a ball into a small hole. It teaches you life lessons, stress management, teaches good sportsmanship, improves business connections and it’s a sport that you can do throughout your life. Being able to innovate the idea that you are never too old to start something new, is what keeps me growing as a person and I can take this life lesson into many aspects in my life to continue developing my character.”

With Maggie’s big heart for golf and school, she says, “Once I put all my mental blocks aside and really looked at the enjoyment, and new experiences I was getting from the sport, it put all the stress aside.”