Every corner of senior Maggie Hier’s life has been powerfully impacted by the individuals she found through her passions. 

Just like many other high school students, Maggie’s most beloved moments of high school were football and basketball games. The feeling of being in student sections surrounded by all of her classmates is an experience she wouldn’t trade.

“[Student sections] are something I’m gonna miss most about high school,” Maggie said. “Not getting to be around all of these people that I grew up with and not being around them all the time will be [difficult].”

Although the connections formed with her peers in classrooms and at social events will, of course, be cherished, her most unbreakable bonds were formed in the pool and on the field.

As a swimmer since she was five, Maggie has had plenty of time to create friendships with members of her team. Without the opportunity to share her passion with others in a team setting, she may never have experienced the bonds that she has; swim has opened the door to people she may have never met otherwise.

“[Swim] has helped me to be more outgoing and talk to more people,” Maggie said. “It’s definitely impacted my high school experience by letting me get to know people that I wouldn’t really have talked to if I didn’t do the sport. With swim especially, I had to go out of my way and meet new people and get to know people I wouldn’t have otherwise.”

Along with these incredible opportunities to be a part of a community within the swim program, Maggie has also been granted the chance to rise to the role of a leader for the team. She was selected to be a captain her senior year, and the experience impacted her greatly. 

“I feel like I had to be a role model for the younger [swimmers],” Maggie said. “Especially the sophomores because they had the whole COVID-19 year, and for the freshmen, it was obviously their first year, so it was kind of like we had two freshman classes because sophomores didn’t get the full experience last year. I really felt like I had to show them the way and make it a really good experience for them.”

Her leadership shines through not only on the swim team but also through being a senior on the girl’s soccer team. Maggie has played soccer since she was five years old—her love for the sport only rivaled by her dedication to swim—and with the prospect of this being her last year, she is soaking up every last moment of the experience.

“We have a lot of younger kids coming up, so that will be fun,” Maggie said. “Same thing [as swim], we only really got three years, so I’m excited we get [this season]. I think we can maybe [win] state champions, so I’m excited to see what we can do as a team.”

Bonding with this year’s team and getting to experience a new year with the opportunity to form a bond with a new group of people is the aspect of soccer Maggie looks forward to the most. No matter what, she knows the preexisting bonds she has already built with her fellow teammates will create an exciting and fulfilling season.

Although being a senior means acknowledging her time to collect companions is growing shorter, she is taking this conclusion as an opportunity to create new and exciting friendships within the different experiences that the world throws at her.

“I’m a little nervous [for college] because I won’t really know anyone right away, and I’ll have to meet new people,” Maggie said, “but I’m excited to go out and be able to meet a bunch of new people and have new experiences with them.”