CFNN Reporter Sanaa House and Kamiya McNeil

Most of the time being in and out of a school activity and/or sport can be difficult, but not for freshman student, Lucy Brinker. Similar to Jennifer Lopez who is an actress, singer, and dancer, Lucy has everyday responsibilities. These talents not only make her who she is, they are deeply valuable as well.  

From Cheerleading, to dancing, to running, to love of mathematics, Lucy shows just how a student that works hard and participates in activities can be. 

“I just try to focus on my grades first of all, and just have fun with it basically, and I try to make every practice I can.” said Brinker 

Lucy has lived in North Carolina since she was young , but was born in California on July 14th, and moved to NC when she was just a toddler. 

Before being a shining freshman athlete, at a young age she did some sports and activities like dance, which led her to joining groups like the Cape Fear Cheerleading team, and Cape Fear Cross Country.  

Though just a freshman her thoughts on school are brighter than most, certain students from freshman to seniors all have a dislike for the worst and hardest subject to man-kind, Math, though Brinker couldn’t pick a better subject to work and learn from, especially with her favorite teacher. 

“My favorite teacher is probably Mrs. Seagroves because I had her in fifth grade too.” said Brinker. 

Doing two different sports in highschool can be stressful, especially in a new environment and around new people. Though certain limits need to be pushed as a student athlete, as well as in the classroom, Lucy already has her mind made up on what she wants to do in life and what college she sees herself going to. 

“After High school I want to go to LSU, and be a Dental Hygienist.”  said Brinker 

Joining groups, sports, and keeping up with a good GPA, Lucy shows her appreciation and thoughts about the Cape Fear Cheerleading team and Cross Country team. Other than school groups Lucy dances and performs at The Firehouse, Studio of Performing Arts, in Eastover. 

“As a coach, Brinker has great access to the team. She brings a lot of spunk and personality, she has a really strong work ethic, she works really hard to do cheerleading as well as cross country,” said Coach Osornio. 

Being a dancer can be tough especially when you have to learn different genres of dance, other than the basics. With 12 years of experience, Brinker has learned and dances to genres such as, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Lyrical, Tap, Clogging, and Acro. 

Most of the time high school students usually feel the pressure of multiple extracurricular activities, different difficult classes, and new people or teachers, but with excellent mentors, Lucy perseveres. 

“Lucy is a great student, she’s always attentive in class, she tries to help as many as her classmates in class, very nice, overall she’s a great student,” said her English I honors teacher, Mrs. Johnson. 

Working hard enough to prove how a freshman student can be learning, encouraging, and guiding for other freshman students. 

“I like to connect with other people, hang out with friends,  and cheer on the Colts. I like to also run with friends and get exercise and learn new things because I never ran at Cape Fear, and I wanna try to do swim and track.” said Brinker. 

Getting admiration from her Family, Friends, teammates and Coaches, they all highlight the positive attributes of a hardworking freshman athlete. 

I think she is an amazing person, she definitely brings some different ideas to the team, and she’s also really funny. I think having a younger person on the team with lots of older girls brings more perspective on how people feel.” Said Brinker’s teammate McKenzie Lilge. 

A student is told to only show their hard work ethic in school but also with her hard work, understanding, and positive attitude outside. Lucy Brinker is a shining example of a hard working student, athlete, and talented young woman. No matter what grade, or age, there is never a problem with showing an optimistic attitude to the world around you, and Lucy does just that.