Photo by Erin Nelson.
John Carroll’s Ruby Thornton (3) takes the ball to the goal in a Class 4-5A first round playoff game against Demopolis at John Carroll Catholic High School on April 28.
John Carroll Catholic High School graduate Ruby Thornton maintained a 4.62 GPA while running cross-country, being the captain of the soccer team and starting flag football when she was a senior.
This earned Thornton the Bryant-Jordan Award, a scholarship program that rewards high school senior athletes in the state for their academic success and achievements in overcoming obstacles.
The Bryant-Jordan Award is divided into two categories: scholar-athlete and achievement. Thornton received the scholar-athlete award.
“It was truly an honor,” Thornton said. “I didn’t expect it at all and then my soccer coach, coach [Robert] Crawford, told me about it and I was like, ‘oh my goodness.’ My friend got it the year before and played soccer with me, so it was just really cool to follow in her footsteps.”
On top of being an athlete in high school, she was in several student organizations, including student council, campus ministry, National Honor Society, SGA and Sodality, a women’s group at the high school, she said.
The academic success she earned in high school didn’t come easily for Thornton. She had to learn how to prioritize her time and choose her goals wisely, Thornton said.
“It wasn’t easy,” she said. “I had to set goals for myself because I knew I wanted to succeed in school and make good grades. I knew that would mean sacrificing my time and having good time-management skills so I could still have time for sports and practice and still have time to spend with my family and friends.”
Her soccer and cross-country coach at John Carroll, Robert Crawford, said Thornton is “well-deserving” of the scholarship because of her attitude and hard work on the field and in the classroom.
“To excel at sports and excel in the classroom says a lot about her,” Crawford said. “She is so down to earth and cares about people. She’s very soft-hearted. She’s been good for me, I’m going to miss her.”
Crawford said Thornton is not only gifted as a student but also as an athlete, being “blessed” with speed and determination.
“She’s blessed with speed but she also has that drive and determination to be the best she can be and that comes from within,” Crawford said. “I’ve been coaching and teaching for 42 years now, and I see some kids that have a gift but they never reach their potential. … She is that person that does everything she can do to achieve a goal.”
Thornton will be going to Auburn University this fall. She’s not sure what she wants to study, she said, so she’ll be studying in Auburn’s exploratory major program to figure out what she would be interested in.
“I don’t really know what I want to do yet, so this major will help me figure out what I’m good at and show me all of my options,” Thornton said.
She’s going to miss high school a little, she said. She’s going to miss having a structured schedule everyday and her friends, but she’s more excited to see what the future holds for her.
“I’m excited to meet new people,” Thornton said. “I’ve gone to school with some of the same people since kindergarten, it was such a small school. I’m also looking forward to figuring out what I want to do with my life.”
