Photo courtesy of Mary Vines.
Homewood High School senior Mary Vines will attend Brown University this fall on a Division I gymnastics scholarship, where she plans to study biology.
Q: Please tell our readers about yourself.
A: My name is Mary Vines, and I am a senior at Homewood High School. I love art, photography, sewing and spending time outside! I also truly value spending time with my family and friends. I also love to travel and have traveled out of the country six times, five of those times to Europe and once to Africa.
Q: What extracurricular activities do you participate in at Homewood High School? Outside of school?
A: I am currently involved in many different activities. I have done gymnastics for 15 years now, and I am currently finishing my third and final season as a Level 10. I practice 25 hours a week during the school year and 29 hours a week during the summer. Even with gymnastics taking up so much of my time, I still find time for many other activities. I am the Red Ribbon Week Skit Leader for Homewood Peer Helpers, a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) lead team, and a Beta Club and National Honor Society member. I have also taken advantage of both AP Art and Photography classes offered at Homewood High School. I am a member of Homewood Cumberland Presbyterian Church, which I have attended ever since I was born. … I work with the Tre Luna Catering Company as a server on any dates when I am free so I can have the opportunity to make some money of my own.
Photo by Kim Dowis-Brown, courtesy of Mary Vines.
Vines is finishing her third and final season as a Level 10 gymnast, training 25 hours a week during the school year and 29 hours a week during the summer.
Q: What are your plans for next year? Where do you plan to attend college, and what do you plan to major in?
A: My plan post-graduation is to attend Brown University this fall. This past July, I committed to be a member of Brown’s D1 gymnastics team, and it really is a dream come true to be a future student-athlete at an Ivy League school. I plan to study biology during my time at Brown.
Q: Why did you decide to pursue that major?
A: I have decided to major in biology at Brown because I plan to become an orthopedic physician assistant so I can help young athletes just like me. Majoring in biology will also benefit me when I am applying to PA schools after I graduate from Brown.
Q: What makes Brown a good fit for you? What are you most excited about for your next year at Brown?
A: Brown is the best fit for me because they have the rigorous academics that I look for in a college, along with the D1 gymnastics program with the best coaches and team I could ask for. Brown really is perfect for me because it satisfies both my love of learning and love of gymnastics. I am most excited for Brown’s Open Curriculum, which will allow me to take as many different classes as I desire. The Open Curriculum will allow me to reach my fullest potential during college, without the limits of typical required classes, and take full advantage of the very diverse classes offered to me.
Q: Was there a particular teacher or class at Homewood that made an impact on you? Why?
A: Coach O was my photography teacher freshman year and then my AP photography teacher my sophomore year. Ms. Atchison was my AP Art teacher during my junior year and my Art 3 teacher my senior year. Both of these teachers have been the greatest people I have ever met, and they not only see me as a student but also a person. I greatly enjoyed taking both of their arts classes because they pushed me to my fullest potential and helped me build my utmost skill level in art and photography. Even though they consistently pushed me to be the best artist and photographer that I could be, they did it in the most loving and encouraging way. They both never fail to make me laugh, and they truly feel like family.
Q: What do you think you will miss most about attending Homewood High School?
A: I think I will miss being a Peer Helper at Homewood the most. Peer Helpers has given me a sense of community at Homewood, and it has been the greatest honor to have been a member for the past three years. I had the opportunity to promote a drug-, alcohol- and tobacco-free lifestyle, make so many new friends, and help other students at school feel included and loved. I also had the honor of being the Red Ribbon Week Skit leader, where I would write, organize and act in the skits the Peer Helpers put on for the elementary schools to help the newcoming sixth graders have a fun way to learn how to maintain a healthy and safe lifestyle going into middle school.
Q: Who is your role model and why?
A: My role model is definitely my mom. She is my absolute best friend and one of my biggest supporters. She is kind, compassionate and extremely selfless — all of the attributes I hope to show the people I meet every day. She is also very passionate about what she loves to do and makes sure that she carves out time in her busy schedule for the people and activities that she loves most, which is one of the most important things a person can do.
Q: What advice would you give students new to Homewood High?
A: I would advise students new to Homewood to never be afraid of challenging themselves. High school is the place where students can find their favorite hobbies and extracurricular activities, especially at Homewood where there are a multitude of clubs, sports and classes offered to students. Being a new student can cause a lot of anxiety about finding that sense of belonging in a new place, but if they step out of their comfort zones just a bit and try something new and exciting, then they could find those close relationships with the students around them.
Q: What’s next for you? Where do you see yourself in five years?
A: In five years, I see myself freshly graduated from Brown [and] now a student in a top PA program. I could see myself possibly living on my own or with a friend during my time in PA school and finally starting the life after college I have been dreaming about since I was little.
