High School Heroes: Spotlight Averee Fields
The season of giving and being grateful has arrived. As such, Calloway County High School is grateful to have Averee Fields as an alumnus. Averee Fields was a successful and outstanding student, as well as a wonderful person. She excelled both in high school and continues to excel as a person now. Field's high school experience is one that can be related to by most students, which includes feeling the lows and highs of high school. The insight she learned from this experience can be used by students today.
Averee Fields graduated from Calloway County High School with the Class of 2011. Having moved to Kentucky in the 3rd grade, she now considers Murray, KY her hometown, since she lived here most of her childhood and spent her formative years here before moving to Ohio.
In high school, Fields described herself as a “perfectionist” and “high-achiever”. Like most students, Fields had a desire to “make all A’s, have fun, and be well-liked.” She was also talented at basketball and enjoyed playing. Fields described basketball as “a skill and a gift I knew would open doors for me in my future.” Ultimately, Fields also knew she never wanted her time in division one basketball to define her. Amongst all these obstacles, school at times was stressful, and she claimed she struggled to be confident and cared about her perception. Fields’ advice to high school students today includes, “Be reflective and check your motivations, relax and have fun, . . . and take a deep breath.” Fields adds,” ... understanding that each stage of life has a purpose, has ups and downs, but does not last forever” is what she did and what she says continues to influence her.
Today, Fields now holds a bachelors and masters degree in social work and a minor in psychology. As previously mentioned, she also completed four years of division one basketball at West Virginia University and graduated, which she considers one of her greatest accomplishments. More of her greatest accomplishments, according to Fields, include being named the 2019 Employee of the year out of 250 staff members, as a student engagement coordinator at Columbus State Community College, and becoming a “big sister”, to someone she has matched with for almost four years, with the Big Brother Big Sister program, a program that serves mentoring friendships to young children who may experience adversity. Fields states she is still a high- achiever and wants to do a job well done. Fields also said she took a few years to truly evaluate her insecurities and became the confident person she pretended to be.
According to Fields, if you shoot high, you'll achieve high; if you put in the effort and take the time to be dedicated, you'll have rewarding results. Averee Fields is a great example of that. While in school, Fields was a hard-working student, who took the time to do good, despite the stress and other negative aspects. She is now successful.
If she could, Averee Fields would go back and tell her high school self “to be more vulnerable and authentic with the people around her...to stand a little taller and shine bright.” Students today can take this advice and use it for themselves. High school will have its stressful moments and hardships, but you can make the best of it and succeed, no matter the hardships.
