Posted on Mar 29, 2014 in
HIGH SCHOOL HOT SHOT
Rachel Long
By Lauren Dante Benoit –
Rachel Long is a senior at Fort Bend Christian Academy. Attending Fort Bend Christian Academy for 13 years, Rachel has made her mark on the school by excelling in the classroom, making beautiful art pieces and playing the field in soccer. With an exciting future ahead of her, Rachel is focused and determined to continue her education, grow in her Christian beliefs and pursue leadership opportunities that will allow her to impact others’ lives in a positive and meaningful way.
As an artist, Rachel has awed people with her beautiful pieces. After learning about the basics of art, Rachel chose a specialty of pottery and ceramics. “I enjoy working with clay because I can make things that are both practical and beautiful,” said Rachel. “I have made abstract sculptures and pitchers that can actually be used in people’s homes.”
Rachel competes annually with her pieces of work. As a sophomore, Rachel won first at the state competition in ceramics for her gunmetal pitcher. She has won eight medals over the past few years from the district and state competitions for her unique artwork. This year, Rachel is submitting her senior portfolio for competition, which is a compilation of her artwork over the past three years. Rachel feels very lucky to have the opportunity to compete in ceramics because Fort Bend Christian Academy has an excellent equipped art studio.
In addition to excelling in the art studio, Rachel is a very intelligent student. She is ranked in the top eight percent of her class and is enrolled in advanced placement classes. She has already earned 12 college credits through her hard work and effort during high school. Rachel’s favorite class is her current apologetics class. “The apologetics class has given me a strong foundation of my faith as I enter college,” said Rachel. “I have learned how to discuss my faith with others.”
Rachel’s faith is important to her. She is involved with her youth group and was on the group’s leadership team last year. As a member of the leadership team, Rachel was responsible for organizing and executing the youth group’s various activities such as the Spring Break Retreat, which was an overnight stay at a Bible camp.
Every year, Rachel travels on a mission trip with Fort Bend Christian Academy. Her Eagle Week trips have been extremely impactful as she has grown in her Christian beliefs while helping others first-hand. As a sophomore, she visited a Native American Indian reservation in Arizona, and last year, she traveled to Belize. This year, Rachel will be traveling to Costa Rica with her senior class to help run a children’s club and assist with building projects.
Rachel is familiar with working as a team to accomplish a goal. This year, Rachel played on Fort Bend Christian Academy’s soccer team, where she is a defender. “I like the team aspect of soccer because we work as a team to win or lose,” said Rachel. “All of my teammates work hard on the field, and we have a lot of fun off of the field as well.”
Even though Rachel is involved in many different aspects at school, she still makes time to hold two jobs. Since she was 13 years old, she has cleaned an office building once a week. She also is a nanny for two kids during the summer. It is evident that Rachel has excellent time management skills and is a hard working young adult.
In the fall, Rachel will be attending Texas A&M University. She will be majoring in business and plans on obtaining her MBA. Rachel is looking forward to attending A&M and becoming involved with different organizations on campus.
Rachel is a first-class student and role model for her peers. Not only is she intelligent, having never received a grade lower than a B, but she is also a kind-hearted and loving person that aims to live by her Christian faith every day. Congratulations Rachel on your many accomplishments in high school; we know that the future holds great things for you!
