Female Athlete of the Month: Elena Chan

Though only a sophomore, Elena Chan has tallied an impressive athletic record as a Marian Mustang. Universally described by her classmates as “smart, kindhearted, and funny”, Elena has made an indelible impact on the school and its community members. Her nomination as Athlete of the Month for February is a reflection of both her athletic, academic, and social contributions to Marian High School.

Members of Marian’s first-ever swim team, including Elena, were dedicated to making the debut season a successful one. Initially, she did not plan to participate in a winter sport, but with encouragement from her parents, chose to swim—a pastime she had not engaged in since elementary school. The small size of the team facilitated a great deal of one-on-one time with first time head coach Sue Morse. During the season, Elena swam in freestyle, backstroke, and relay events, the latter being her favorite because it allowed her to “work with and trust the team”.  Although she performed well throughout the season, the highlights of Elena’s season were moments of team bonding during van rides, swim meets, and sing-alongs to Kesha’s “Timber”, the unofficial theme song for the season.

A tri-sport athlete at Marian, Elena also plays volleyball and her favorite sport, lacrosse. She is eagerly anticipating the upcoming season, where she will reprise her role as an attacker on the varsity lacrosse team. She is an honors student, preferring history class with her favorite teacher, Mr. Johnson. He is “really funny” and “the way he teaches helps you understand”. In addition to her demanding academic workload, Elena spends her time babysitting, shopping at American Eagle, and hang out with her friends. Her friends, for their part, describe her as “awesome, studious, and quirky”. She also enjoys watching Gossip Girl and hockey games, preferably featuring the New York Rangers or Boston Bruins. Given the opportunity, she would choose to eat meals at Chipotle and Panera, accompanied by an ice cold Snapple peach tea.

Elena has capitalized on the multitude of opportunities available to her since joining the Marian community. She feels as though “everyone—teachers and students—is nice and welcoming”, which has facilitated her continued academic and athletic success. Adding to her appreciation of Marian is her brother Nick, a current  senior and another of Marian’s excellent student-athletes. When she arrived here last year, “everyone knew [her] because of him”, and she was touched by the kindness and patience of the older students at the school. Looking to next year Elena knows she’ll “miss him a lot”, primarily because they “have fun and get along so well”.  While her brother will not be in attendance, Elena’s continued presence in the Marian hallways will certainly be anticipated for years to come.