By Morgan O’Hara
Do not let the blonde hair fool you, Ava Kelley is a fierce young student athlete who is not afraid to chase her goals. Her bright blue eyes are full of compassion and determination, and since a young age, Ava Kelley has been adventurous and wild spirited. Her athletic background led to her love of swimming, and even with her packed schedule, she stays focused on her dream to become a pilot in the air force.
“I think I work pretty well under pressure. I get a lot of things done with the mindset I have grown up with. [Teaching me to] give my best at things while under pressure,” she remarks, smiling.
Swimming has been a major part of her life since she was six years old because of her father and his love for triathlons. Ava grew up by the water and has been in soccer and gymnastics, and this sporty background highlights how important teamwork is in an athletic and academic atmosphere. Whether she is working on a group project or swimming on a relay she motivates and lifts up her teammates including her fifteen year old sister Emily.
Ava defines teamwork as “everyone working together, standing up and being a leader, helping others, and not getting upset about the little things. Overall, just having a good attitude towards everything.”
Family plays an important role in Ava’s life. Her greatest motivator is her Dad. She describes her father as very hardworking and selfless, and admires her father and his service to the country. She plans on following in his footsteps and pursuing a career in the air force academy.
As only a junior in high school she attends “flying lessons one time a week in Plymouth for two hours.”
Ava is working towards getting her pilot’s license. Her packed schedule – filled with swimming, flying planes, hanging out with friends, and keeping up with an academic workload – is not easy. She states that keeping her grades up to get into the air force academy has been her goal for a long time. She has designed an academically rigorous course load and juggles Honors and Pre-AP courses. Her dedication to her studies and flying aspirations will help her pursue Pilot Jobs from BizJetJobs.com in the future.
Fiddling with her hands Ava states she is “stronger in math and science classes rather than English.” When asked about her favorite teacher Ava states that “Mrs. Williams is by far the best because she cares about everyone’s success and wants them to do well.”
In the classroom she favors formulated questions and factual ideas. She believes her weaknesses are in English because she gets stuck when there is an ability for more than one answer and writing. Her dedication to school reflects in her swimming but right now she is struggling to go to practice.
Currently, “I have a knee injury and I am upset with my swimming and I am going to PT,” she says with a small sigh.
She had surgery roughly two years ago but the issue that the surgery was supposed to get rid of came back. Ava has not been to swim in three weeks because of the pain in her knee and instead sees a trainer. She says her hardest exercise to do in physical therapy is squats. Despite her knee, Ava is excited for the winter swim season.
“The Oliver Ames Swim and Dive team had a terrific season last year, and with everyone working hard during pre-season I’m excited to see what we can accomplish this year.”
Ava is also passionate about traveling and exploring the world around her. She plans to hopefully get stationed in a different country in the air force. She has a bucket list of places she wants to visit when she gets a little older.
When asked her top three places to visit she stated that “[she] went to Hawaii when [she] was five months old…[ and that she] has always wanted to go back to Hawaii because it’s hiking, swimming, surfing, and beaches. [She] went to London when [she] was nine and wants to go back and backpack across Europe. [She] has also always wanted to go to Switzerland because of the scenery and hiking.”
Ava’s biggest fear is not being the best person she can be, while also afraid of not meeting her father’s expectations. She never wants to disappoint her role models striving every day to work hard and be like her father and grandfather.
With an uncontrollable laugh, “if I had a superpower it would be to fly myself around.”
This unique superpower fits her personality because she enjoys flying planes and is not afraid of heights. Her ability to be different and hold herself to above and beyond standards illustrates her natural leadership qualities.
