In the 20 minutes that I interviewed junior Chloe Cox, it was apparent that there was a certain liveliness and spirit to her character that flourished when she spoke. Particularly, she alighted on the topic of her main passions: speaking Spanish, playing tennis, skiing, and enjoying the fantastical works of JRR Tolkien.
Chloe, originally from Minnesota, first got immersed in the Spanish language in after-school classes that her parents selected. After getting acclimated to the culture, her experience with Spanish only expanded when she moved to California, where a fair majority of her classmates were Hispanic. There, she got the chance to interact with people in their native language and develop an appreciation for her new environment. However, the shift was difficult, as she was considered a “gringa” in her school—a term for a non-Hispanic girl. This only fueled Chloe’s determination to continue learning the language, so she soon enrolled in private after-school classes.
After moving to Michigan in fifth grade, Chloe’s enthusiasm for Spanish grew further, as she decided to challenge herself by testing out of Spanish 1 in seventh grade. After receiving a passing grade on the midterm, she began the tedious journey of trekking up to the high school in eighth grade each day, whether it be rain or shine. Regardless, in her Spanish 2 classes, Chloe found a place among the older high school students. This was beneficial for her social relationships, as she befriended many upperclassmen who became some of her greatest friends.
“It was a very jarring experience to be with football players and with people that were so much older than me,” Chloe said. “I had to figure out how to adapt and adjust to this new high school environment. But, I found that being the youngest student in my class is almost like a benefit because I could establish good relationships with my older peers. It honestly doesn’t feel like that much of an age gap, because we’re all learning the same content.”
Proceeding on her Spanish-learning journey, Chloe took Spanish 4 as a sophomore last year, a singularly difficult task on its own. However, as Chloe continued perfecting her skills, she realized that she was finally surrounded by other students who genuinely wanted to learn Spanish. Her classmates weren’t just taking the class for the college requirement, they wanted to immerse themselves in the language. Now, in AP Spanish, Chloe finds that her ties with the Spanish community have grown stronger than ever.
“When I see my friends in the hallways who are in Spanish, I’ll [say], ‘¿Hola, cómo estás?’” Chloe said. “We’ll just have side conversations in Spanish. I think that’s cool, now that we can all talk to each other [in Spanish], sometimes even text in Spanish, and comment on each other’s Instagram posts in Spanish.”
Similar to language, Chloe has found a community and family in sports.
She began skiing as a young girl in Minnesota but stopped the sport altogether in California, due to the coastal climate. However, upon moving to Michigan, Chloe was searching for a winter pastime. Her fateful day came when her dad suggested she take up skiing, specifically ski racing.
However, she completely crashed out when trying to ski down a steep hill for the first time in years, instead of masterfully weaving her way down the slope. Although her return to the sport was somewhat dispiriting, Chloe immediately remembered why she admired skiing so much in Minnesota: the pure adrenaline it brought her.
“I love the adrenaline [of skiing],” Chloe said. “I love being cold, and I love the people who were there that started at the same time as me, and that we all got to struggle together.”
That day on the slope kickstarted her junior career in ski racing that would continue for the next five years of her life. Every winter, Chloe trained constantly, subsequently traveling to races across the state—most notably, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
However, once she began high school, the demand for other extracurricular activities and assignments became overbearing, so she was forced to drop the travel team. Instead, she joined the FHC Ski Team. In the past two years, Chloe has found immense success on the school team, from qualifying for the state tournament both years individually to creating friendships that will last her a lifetime.
“[Skiing for FHC] has been a lovely experience,” Chloe said. “What started as something very scary, intimidating, and relatively new has transformed into something that has connected me to so many different people, and I’m grateful for that.”
At the same time that she rediscovered her love for skiing, Chloe—being the ambitious and ebullient student she is—was also looking for an activity to do during the spring months. In a series of events nearly indistinguishable from when she began skiing, her father suggested she try tennis. Grudgingly, Chloe picked up her racquet, hit a tennis ball, and—as cliché as it may sound—fell in love with the sport. Along with the excitement of the game, she discovered yet another community she thrives in, both athletically and mentally. From beginning to play in USTA (United States Tennis Association) tournaments to being a member of the varsity girls tennis team at school, Chloe knows that tennis is an energizing, athletic outlet that she’d love to continue indefinitely.
Through speaking Spanish, playing tennis, and skiing, Chloe has found a sense of determination, community, and freedom in herself. Having a demanding schedule can be tiring at times, but for Chloe, the challenge is what makes life exciting.
“I would say that I am a pretty goal-oriented person,” Chloe said. “I like having a list of things to do and accomplish, but in that sense, I also like to be creative and have freedom with what I do. I like to challenge myself and figure out how to be the best version I can be as a student and as an athlete. I’m not very content with doing the bare minimum and being okay with that. I just want to get myself out of my comfort zone. This year, I have a very heavy AP course load, and that’s been difficult, but I know in the long run that it’s developing my skills as a writer, as a reader, and a thinker, in all my subjects. It’s going to be good for the future.”
In addition to Chloe’s dedication to her athletic and student life, she makes time for her less structured interests, such as immersing herself in the universe of Lord of the Rings. Only a year ago, Chloe apprehensively watched The Hobbit film trilogy, due to her love for the fantasy genre. Immediately after finishing those three movies, she scrambled to watch the succeeding Lord of the Rings trilogy. Since then, her fondness for the films and the books has grown exponentially.
“I think what connected to me about Lord of the Rings was that it felt like I was being transported to another universe,” Chloe said. “Metaphorically, it was so easy to connect with the characters, and I found myself wanting to be an elf at certain points and ride across the fields of Rohan. It was so different from my own reality that it was such a refreshing perspective.”
Ever since she can remember, Chloe has had an innate desire to see the world and explore what it offers. Therefore, she takes every opportunity to experience and feel to her core, whether trying out a new sport or discovering new, niche obsessions. In the future, she hopes to travel the world and unearth cultures currently unbeknownst to her, as well as to feel a sense of introspection and awareness about how others go through life.
“I’ve been trying to accept YOLO [you only live once] as my mantra, which is, although clichéd, I think it helps you to become less embarrassed and overthink situations a lot less,” Chloe said. “That’s been really helpful for me. It’s just to say, ‘Well, why not? What’s the worst that can happen?’ I think that you should just take every opportunity life gives you and try to make the most of it, even if it doesn’t work out.”
