Photos by Melanie DeFazio
Pickerington High School North Senior Lavonca Davis’ academic record is anything but typical – ranked ninth in her class, she is in two honors and three AP classes – but her true dedication becomes even more apparent in her extracurricular commitments.
As a member of Sunny Side Up, North’s leadership and service organization, Davis is committed to developing her communication skills and positively affecting her community.
Her resume doesn’t stop there, however.
Davis is on the varsity golf team, and she’s become one of central Ohio’s top female golfers. She was also an ensemble member of her school’s spring musical, The Wedding Singer. She runs a Bible study, On Pointe with Christ, where she works with The Water Project, a nonprofit organization that helps to provide safe drinking water to international communities. Going into her 12th-grade year, the highly productive student was also a member of the high school yearbook staff.
Yearbook is her favorite activity.
“I have a lot of freedom to put my own style into it and pick my own topics,” Davis says. “Everyone is responsible for taking care of their own business, and that freedom makes it all chill.”
Often, challenges she experiences along the way push Davis to work even harder. Such was the case with her AP chemistry class.
“When I first started, it was challenging because it was so new,” Davis says. “I like the challenge, and I like going into something without knowing anything, so I can learn more about it.”
And the fruits of her motivations show in what she does and where she’s going.
Davis started golfing the week before seventh grade tryouts but, in her words, she was “horrible.” Still, she learned from her experience and came back in eighth grade to become the No. 1 golfer on the team, continuing to improve over the year.
Davis hopes to continue on a college team and use her athletic scholarship to further fund her success.
After she graduates from high school, Davis plans to attend Vanderbilt University for chemical engineering. Afterward, she hopes to attend Harvard Law School and practice corporate law and contract law, or perhaps become a sports agent.
But Davis approaches her future with characteristic modesty.
“I would just love to be successful and to live in a comfortable place where I don’t have to worry about the necessities,” she says. “I want to be able to provide.”
Davis lives with her parents and her little sister, Zhanner. She golfs with her sister, who is in eighth grade. Lavonca says that she values her close relationship with Zhanner.
“We hang out a lot, and we drive to random places to go get food and hang out – or we just sit around and watch Netflix,” she says.
Davis describes her dance teacher, Angie Smith, as her biggest hero.
“I’ve been dancing with her since I was 3, and my parents say she’s like my second mom,” Lavonca says. “She started my Bible study group, and she helped me with my faith. She helped me become closer to God and pushed me to go to church.”
Zach Maiorana is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at ssole@cityscenemediagroup.com.
