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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
SARAH TRUXAL
By JoEllen Collins
Sarah Truxal, Wood River High School senior with a 4.05 GPA, plans to continue her dedication to academics and athletics as she spends her final year of school in Hailey.
“I intend to fully appreciate this place and this time and experience our Valley and my friends before we go off to college and our adult lives,” Sarah said.
Sarah has already completed seven AP courses and will take four more this year, including one in biology. Science courses are her favorites, and have provided knowledge in her future major of biomedical engineering. Sarah has been a member of National Honor Society since her sophomore year, and remains part of the scholastic organization.
“I am excited to be able to pursue a career I am already passionate about, a demanding and growing field I can embrace,” she said.
A recent tour of colleges may have solidified Sarah’s desire to study in the East. She toured Boston College, Villanova, and Columbia University, among others. She looks forward to the challenge of a different environment and culture than she has experienced here.
Sarah was born in Sun Valley at Moritz Community Hospital and has grown up in a place she enjoys, she said.
“Year-round outdoor activities are so close,” she said. “The accessibility of the outdoors in this part of Idaho has been wonderful for my interest in athletic activities.”
An added challenge in her life is a health issue she’s had since freshman year that taught her how to deal with difficulties.
“I have learned that one can survive and even flourish after facing hardships,” Sarah said.
Her athletic activities are a large part of her life. In addition to hiking, Sarah participates in team sports, playing soccer since she was in kindergarten. Also, she has been on the Sun Valley Nordic ski team since second grade.
“I hope to spend even more time being active outdoors this year,” she said.
Outside of school sports, Sarah has been active on the Girls on the Run youth board since her sophomore year.
“This is a chance for me to give back to my community,” she said. “Girls on the Run helps girls build confidence through exercise and helps them develop creative and healthy lifestyles.”
Sarah was an intern this past summer at the Sawtooth Animal Center in Bellevue. “I was able to learn about animal anatomy and observe different kinds of operations,” she said.
She is grateful for the opportunity to again have attained some knowledge about her goal of biomedical studies.
Sarah summarizes her generation’s hopes for their futures with optimism.
“We want to find our passion and be able to do what we love,” she said. “That way, both we and the world can thrive.”