Some siblings have long-lasting rivalries; others have a deep-rooted, enduring bond with one another. Sophomore Ava Mattson and her siblings are the latter.
Whether it is a late-night car drive or a stop at Chick-fil-A, you will find Ava with senior Jack Mattson—her older brother. Ava moved here from Portland, Oregon about a year ago. This huge life change has helped the Mattson siblings bond because they had to begin relying on one another during this transition.
“When we moved here originally, a year ago, that made me, my brother, and my younger sister all super close, and we started relying on each other,” Ava said. “Also, during COVID-19, when we were all quarantined, we had to learn to like each other.”
All siblings fight sometimes; however, some fight less than others. Out of all of Ava’s siblings, she fights with her brother Jack the least. When they do find themselves in an argument or disagreement, usually it’s over something of trivial importance. Eventually, both she and her brother will realize that it’s not a big deal, and then they will forget about it.
“I’d say out of all my siblings, [Jack and I] fight the least,” Ava said. “When we do, it’s nothing that can’t be solved in less than five minutes. Whenever we fight, it’s about something stupid. But then it’s over, and we just forget about it.”
Outside of her family, Ava is an avid swimmer. She has been competitively swimming since she was around six or seven years old. She began swimming because her older sister also swam. They were on the same team for a little while; eventually, her sister quit. Ava, on the other hand, found a love for the sport, and she continued to keep swimming despite the fact that her sister, Emma, was no longer doing it. Swimming has been a constant for her, and that is one of the reasons she likes it so much.
“I’ve always swam 50 breaststroke,” Ava said. “That’s something that’s always been there for me. It’s time I have to myself. I don’t have to worry about school, or my grades, or anything really. For me, [I’m] always racing against time and not other people.”
Ava may not swim with her older sister Emma anymore, but she still gets a lot of advice from her sister. She gives Ava advice on high school, friends, and relationships. Ava also receives guidance from her brother Jack. Her siblings have provided her with a built-in support system to help her with struggles in her day-to-day life.
“[Emma] is someone that I can go to to have girl talk with,” Ava said. “We talk about everything, and she helps me through high school experiences, friends, and not-so-great people. She’s someone I can go to if I need friendship or relationship advice. [Jack and I] hang out all the time. We have a lot of deep conversations about things that are hard in our lives. He has supported me through a lot of hard things in my life.”
Out of all the things Ava does with her brother, her favorite thing is their car rides together. Even though they have very different music tastes, they can meet in the middle. Sometimes Taylor Swift will be blasted through the car speakers, and other times, country music will be playing.
“Sometimes, he’ll let me blast Taylor Swift for an hour on end,” Ava said. “Other times, we’ll listen to some country and go on drives at night and get food, [which is] fun.”
Ava’s brother has provided her with an abundance of advice over the years, and one thing that he has said that sticks with her is this.
“One thing my brother always told me was, ‘Don’t worry because everything will fall into place when it needs to,’” Ava said. “That’s something that’s really stuck with me.”
