Senior Spotlight: Lexie Sparks
By: Caia Bevins
You guessed it, Lexie Sparks is a Senior this year, and the basketball team is sad to see her leave. She played in twenty-three games this season and certainly made a difference in the Defiance v Bluffton game. When I asked her to describe herself in one word, she said ambitious. While it certainly applied on the court, she said that it even more in terms of academics. She said that one of her goals was to make the Dean’s list every semester, which she was able to do. She went on to say that the main reason she was here at Defiance College was to get her degree and that athletics was just an add-on for her. It was a way for her to get involved and make friends. She said, “it was an opportunity for me to continue doing what I love.”
With her deep love of basketball, it is no surprise that her favorite memory had to do with basketball. Her freshman year, she went to Transylvania with her team for a basketball game. This was an overnight trip for the team, and she remembers staying up all night playing video games with her friends. The next day, they lost, “but the bus ride was the most fun bus ride, even though we lost by like forty points. We were just having so much fun, and at that point, I just realized that these people were my best friends for the next four years.”
Switching over to academics, Lexie is graduating with a double major in Criminal Justice and Psychology. Every major, no matter which one, has its difficult classes, and they can be challenging to get through. When I asked her how she persisted, despite the challenge, she referenced her future. In order for her to get where she wants to go, she needs to take steps to get there, so she always kept that in mind while studying. She also mentioned her parents and the work ethic they instilled in her. They taught her to not give up no matter what, so that was also a big motivator for her. She told me that she knew that college “ was going to be a challenge and it wasn’t going to be awhile in the park, but I wanted to be able to say that I finished it and was able to get a good job after everything.”
When I asked her if she had any parting words for the campus, both faculty and staff and students, she said that she just wanted to say thank you “for helping me through this experience and also giving me experiences. I’ve met so many great people through this experience and I just want to say
thank you. For everything.” Make sure to come to see Lexie at graduation on May 13 and help her and all the other graduates celebrate their success!
