At first glance, sophomore Sigrid Edson seems like your typical high school student- and in many ways, she is.  She is very involved with her academic life, always pushing herself to various clubs and activities, and striving to be the best that she can be.

But after spending only fifteen minutes with her, I could already tell that her mind goes far beyond the tense focus on grades that is typical at Mason; instead it is full of world-changing ideas, as well as a passion for using her intelligence towards helping others.

Deciding on a future career has always been difficult for Sigrid.  Her numerous interests, including music, math, science, and writing, always got in the way of choosing a career path because finding a job with all of these subjects seemed impossible.

“It was stressful for me to not know because I like to make plans and know things…. I always envied people who had had one passion,” Edson said.

Recently, however, she realized that you don’t have to choose a career based around a single interest.

“You can write your own adventure and intersect different interests into a job or a career or a lifestyle that works for you, so I’ve been thinking about ways that I can put together different interests,” Edson said.

This idea stemmed from her love of math, which has only recently surfaced.  Edson says she found algebra difficult in middle school, but that it started to make sense and become interesting after taking geometry.  She is currently taking pre-calculus and tutors peers in math after school.

However, what most appealed to her about this area of study was the policy side of it and the idea of working collaboratively with others.

“[What interests me is] the way that healthcare works in America and in disenfranchised communities, especially for women and young people,” Sigrid said. “I would be interested in working in those communities to provide healthcare and to innovate in the way that healthcare services are provided.”

Although she might not know exactly what career path to take yet, Edson does know that she wants to join the Peace Corps after college.

“[Either way, it would] be a good experience to both take a step back before I launch into a career, but also to get myself into the world immediately after college,” Edson said.

Edson is both academically and physically involved at Mason; one of her favorite extracurriculars being swim.

When I asked Sigrid about swimming, her face immediately lit up as she expressed her love for the sport, as well as for the people on Mason’s swim team.

“[We’re] people from a lot of different groups and a lot of different interests, who all come together and have a good time… it’s a very welcoming atmosphere,” Edson said.

Edson herself is a very competitive swimmer.  She has made it to the VHSL State Championship since she joined the team as a freshman, and competed in the 100m breaststroke, 50m freestyle, medley event, and freestyle relays for the 2016-2017 season.

However her favorite event of all time is the 50m freestyle. “It’s twenty-five seconds of your life and it’s exhilarating, I really love it,” Edson said.

In addition to swimming, music has always been one of her passions.  Edson has played the trumpet since first grade (yes, you heard that right) but she was quick to tell me this was not because she’s some sort of prodigy… it was actually the result of envy for her older brother.  

“[He] was in fourth grade. He was starting band and playing the saxophone, and I was really  jealous….and wanted to start an instrument,” she said. “ My mom said that it’s going to be too difficult… that I was too young, and I said ‘no, I’m gonna do it!”

She stuck with the instrument ever since and recently played at the historic Carnegie Hall in New York as part of Mason’s brass ensemble.

In between school, clubs, swim, and band, Edson has also somehow found the time to teach herself how to play guitar, something she’s been working on over the past couple of years and is rightfully proud of.  Although she hasn’t had time to take on many long-term, personal projects, Edson says that teaching herself guitar is the one thing she’s been able to take on and finish.

Edson is known to both teachers and peers as an intelligent and hardworking student.  I asked her US Government teacher, Rebecca Eisenberg, on what makes her academically successful in class.

“Sigrid is very passionate about knowing information….she understands the power of being knowledgeable on a topic. I think that’s her motivation for wanting to do well in school,” Eisenberg said. “She’s [also]very eloquent and good at making argument that’s powerful.”

I asked Sigrid what drives her to focus much of her time and attention to school, something not a lot of teenagers do.

“When it comes to academics, school comes naturally to me,” she answered. “With my family and the values I was raised with, knowledge and learning have always just been important and something I’ve cared about.  I think it’s [for] those reasons that I’m academically successful and labeled as an overachiever.”

However, Edson doesn’t want her academic achievements and this label of “overachiever” to fully define her.  

“At Mason, there kind of is that label. It’s not recognized much that people who do a lot of different things can be successful in different ways.  It’s not just about a ton of clubs or getting good grades.”

Although her plan for her future isn’t as perfectly clear as she wants it to be, I know that Sigrid Edson will find a way to use her talents to make the world a better place, whether it be her academic or personal, lesser-known interests.