Hamlin's end line overhand serve in volleyball.
By the time most students reach their final year of high school, they’ve established their hobbies and extracurriculars and begin to focus on what they know and love. On the other hand, Dublin Scioto High School senior, Mary Grace Hamlin, can’t seem to stop herself from discovering new interests and activities – and excelling in them.
Hamlin has been on the volleyball team all four years of high school, but as a junior, she decided to add another sport to her schedule.
“I sort of randomly decided to join track (last year) and it was so fun,” Hamlin says. “I’ll be doing that again this year.”
On top of picking up a new sport, just last year. Hamlin also decided to take on art as a hobby through Scioto’s AP art program – and ended up winning a prize for her very first entry into the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.
Hamlin utilized contrast of color, value and emotions to win a prize in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.
“I decided to take AP art kind of on a whim, just because our school has such an amazing art program,” says Hamlin. “It’s become a passion of mine that I’ve just learned.”
Extracurriculars aside, Hamlin also packs her academic schedule with online courses through The Ohio State University, where she is taking biology of hope and belief, a class that uses both science and religion to explore the reasons why humans do or don’t have faith. She’s also taking introduction to disability studies, a class Hamlin enjoys because of her interest in working with the special needs community.
“I volunteer with Young Life Capernaum, which is an organization that works to make Christianity accessible to adolescents,” Hamlin says. “Capernaum works with the special needs community, and I’ve always wanted to get involved and learn more.”
Working with programs that help minority groups and promote inclusivity is clearly a big part of Hamlin’s life. In addition to her work with Young Life Capernaum, Hamlin volunteers at her church, St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Powell, and was one of the founding members of Scioto’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes program.
“It’s been so cool to see how this group has grown,” Hamlin says. “Now we have service projects for places like food pantries and United Way.”
As far as her steps following graduation, Hamlin hopes to pursue a career in STEM. She would ultimately like to become a doctor, but isn’t tying herself down to anything just yet.
“I think for undergrad, I would like to do either chemical or biomedical engineering;” Hamlin says. “If I go through four years of college and love what I’m learning about (as an engineering student) and then decide not to go to med school, I would like to help people in that way, too.”
Hamlin says her drive to help people through volunteerism and the medical field stems from her admiration for how her mother has taken care of her and others. With the passing of her father, who had multiple sclerosis, she has also been inspired to understand diseases like MS so that she can help people overcome these conditions – and she’s already gotten started on this learning process through the Dublin City Schools Biomedical Academy.
“I just hope that people would see some of the things that I’ve done and be encouraged that they can try things even if they’ve never done it before." - Mary Grace Hamlin
After growing up in a small town in upstate New York, Hamlin says living in Dublin has been integral to her development – both academically and in her everyday life.
“I learned so much about diversity and acceptance,” she says. “And the opportunities in the schools – there are so many amazing teachers who have really contributed to my success.”
As a graduating senior, Hamlin hopes that she can serve as an example for underclassmen who might be uncertain about stepping out of their comfort zone.
“I just hope that people would see some of the things that I’ve done and be encouraged that they can try things even if they’ve never done it before – like join AP art on a whim or run track for the first time junior year.”
Kendall Lindstrom is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
