St. Ed’s senior Alex Marshall is on the verge of deciding which college to attend, and the transition to this next adventure should be seamless because momentous change is something she experienced at an early age and didn’t miss a beat.
“I originally came to St. Ed’s when I was in kindergarten and stayed through fifth grade,” Marshall said. “Then I experienced a little move to Japan because of my dad’s work, and I lived with my family in Tokyo for four years. Then I returned to St. Ed’s as a high school sophomore.”
During that “little” move to Japan Marshall learned a new language. She also sharpened her skills on the soccer field, although not in the traditional fashion.
“I am fluent in Japanese and continued my studies online when we returned,” Marshall told us. “I also did a program last summer at Middlebury College (Vermont) where I exclusively studied Japanese. That is something I want to pursue and continue to study in college and beyond.
“My primary sport is soccer and I’ve played it since I was a little kid. When I was in Japan I played on my brother’s team because I couldn’t find a competitive girls team. When I came back here I played on the varsity team under head coach Jaclyn Mohr as a sophomore, junior and senior.”
Now it’s on to the next level and soccer will take a back seat, at best. But over three years in high school Marshall was known for her athleticism, leadership and desire do whatever it took to make three different sports teams the best – and most fun – they could be.
“I played forward in soccer so I was able to score a good amount of goals,” Marshall said. “We ultimately achieved our main goal, which was to win a district championship. That was a great culmination to my soccer career, so to speak, and I actually loved every minute of it.”
Marshall played on Pirate soccer teams that went 35-7-3 over the past three years and finally brought home that elusive district championship in her senior year. She was also on the lacrosse team for three years and golf team for two years. She displayed an easily recognized capacity for leadership and was named a co-captain on all three varsity teams.
“I joined the golf team my junior year and that was an interesting sport to be a part of,” she said. “We had the great opportunity to be able to play at the Moorings. With the bad weather conditions and a small team we didn’t get to play in a lot of matches, but it was still fun. I really enjoyed golf. It was a great way to start the school year.
“Lacrosse was just a different dynamic than soccer because we are independent and didn’t have districts or anything like that to look forward to. We really focused on trying to make every game our best, and it was certainly fun to be involved in that, too.”
The lacrosse season was scheduled to end this past Monday, and with it ends the St. Ed’s sports career of Alex Marshall. The month of April will be busy, however, as she boils the list of colleges down to the chosen one.
“I haven’t decided and I’m still waiting to hear back from several schools,” Marshall said. “April 1st is the big day. Then I will be making college tours in April until I ultimately find my place. I have to make my decision by May 1st.
“I am already accepted at the University of Florida, so that is definitely a solid option. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that one of the schools in the northeast hits. I’m really flexible as to whether I stay in-state or not.
“I wouldn’t mind going out of state just for a change of scenery. Since I’ve been to Japan I’m used to adapting to other environments. I’ve been through big transitions before and I find that exciting.
“This will be different because I will have to learn to be more independent. I’ve always had my family with me, whether it was in Vero Beach or Tokyo. But I’m so excited to have the opportunity to pursue my interests academically and get some real-life experience.”
Marshall would like to broaden her intellectual horizons while in college, possibly through internships and study abroad. Possible college majors include courses she found interesting at St. Ed’s: math, English, environmental sciences and, for a more social point of view, economics. Sports will be relegated to recreational status with consideration given to a club or intramural soccer team.
