Senior Alexis Paul felt that she needed a change of educational venue when she enrolled at St. Ed’s in sixth grade, but the adjustment to her new school was hardly quick or smooth.
Now with graduation only weeks away, Paul was able reflect on seven years as a Pirate and realize that a strong commitment to academics, athletics and art guided her through the rough patches and sent her on to a premed track at the University of Miami.
“I had been going to a public school until I came to St. Ed’s,” Paul said. “I guess I needed a little change of scenery to a private-school setting. It was kind of a hard transition at first and you wouldn’t think that would happen in middle school because you are so young.
“High school definitely got better for me. At first I wanted to leave and go back to the public school (Freshman Learning Center @ VBHS), but looking back I realize that being here was a lot better for me. I put my focus on academics and didn’t really worry about anything else. St. Ed’s has prepared me for the outside world in many ways.”
Soccer was another vital method by which Paul was able to weave her way into the St. Ed’s fabric. She was on the varsity team for five years.
“Athletics to me means learning about leadership qualities and all of the typical cliché stuff,” Paul told us. “You learn so much about team camaraderie and you get a feel for who people are. That’s why I joined the soccer team in the first place.
“I had danced competitively until I was 13. When you’re dancing solo you are not really concerned about the other dancers. But in soccer there are 11 players on the field and every girl counts.
“In eighth grade it was definitely hard being with a bunch of upperclassmen on the varsity. It wasn’t like classic middle school-type soccer where you just kick the ball around. I grew as a person knowing that you have to help put your team in position to compete in all of those big tournaments – districts and possibly regionals and states.
“It definitely helped me become a leader – especially during senior year.”
St. Ed’s varsity girls soccer teams never had a losing season and compiled a cumulative record of 50-22-5 over Paul’s five seasons. Jeff Lamscha was her coach for three years before his protégé Jaclyn Pancotti took over in 2015. That transition was lot easier.
Paul was on board for Lamscha’s 300th career victory in 2014. “I think that was a lot of pressure on all of us,” she said. “He really knew a lot about the game and always made a big impact on our soccer season. Most of the girls cried when he left. He really cared about us as individuals and not just as players.”
The two seasons under Pancotti made her feel just as comfortable, if not more. For obvious reasons, the girls on the team found little difficulty relating to a female head coach. Additionally, Paul and her sister Alana, a sophomore, were teammates this season.
Paul was also on the varsity tennis team as a junior and will always fondly remember that one season on the court. “I was the only undefeated one but I was also one of the last-seeded players. So I wasn’t playing at that high a level, but I feel pretty good about it.”
What see also feels good about is how her passion for art developed and how it has grown into an entrepreneurial and philanthropic venture.
“In middle school I was basically forced to take art as an elective,” Paul recalled. “I never really thought much about it. It was cool, I was pretty good at it, and it was a way to let go of my feelings.
“As a freshman I started doing more artistic things like painting, drawing and stuff like that. My ability increased and I was put into the honors program as a sophomore. This year I’m doing photography for my AP portfolio.”
Taking her artwork one step further, she has created a company – MyCommuniTees – with a charitable purpose and mission statement that reads:
The mission of MyCommuniTees is to create a lasting impact on my community through innovation and be able to support local charities. I knew that I have always wanted to do something involving my artworks. I am able to do something that I have a passion for and reciprocate that into an organization that helps people in need. I hope to achieve enough money to eventually spread this company outside of my community, expanding into other communities with new artists and new ideas. This way new artists are able to share their ideas and also help a charity near them.
Even with all of this going on, Paul will soon be off to study “something science-related” on her premed track at the University of Miami.
