BY NOAH VELASQUEZ
A few weeks ago the Hacienda Five awards were given out to students who have managed to display excellence in their academics as well as managing to play a sport. Most people might believe that these awards only go to students who are superior athletes and play a big role for their respective team, and although that is true in some cases it is not the only way to receive this award. You don’t have to be a “star player”, in fact this award is to be awarded to a “student-athlete” who has been able to excel in many aspects throughout their high school career and being a student first is undoubtedly the most important out of all.
Adam Betancourt was one of the recipients of the Hacienda Five awards, and he is not your average star athlete. Betancourt is someone who has great work ethic and knows what it takes to being a well rounded student as well as a great athlete. Betancourt played volleyball and football during all four years of high school and was often regarded as the hardest working player on the football field. There may have been more talented players, but no one was going to outwork Betancourt and that shows a lot about his character.
Although he managed to play varsity football and volleyball, his most impressive achievements were academic ones. He has been able to rank in the top ten in his class three out of his four years with an amazing 4.55 GPA. In order to do that, he has had to take 15 honors and AP classes as well as managing to get good grades in each class. That just shows how dedicated he was to being a well-rounded student athlete.
“I was surprised when I found out I was getting this award, but at the same time I was extremely happy. I do play a part in athletics, but to be one of the five chosen out of the whole school, it meant a lot. I would think star athletes would get chosen, but they chose people who showed excellence in school as well as leadership, which are things I pride myself on,” Betancourt said.
Leadership was one thing Betancourt focused on; he was a public relations officer for both the CSF and NHS clubs as well as being vice president in volleyball. He was also in Link Crew and has been able to give back to the community by being an assistant coach for Pony Baseball.
One thing Betancourt has tried to do is to simply just contribute back to the school in any way possible and try to be a leader and an example to others. It is clear that he has successfully done everything he has set out to do and now has a new goal for himself to major in mathematics and become either an accountant or a physician’s assistant.
