Magnet alumna Alexis Christian remains an inspirational figure who has left a mark on NC and everyone she interacted with. Her impact as an NC magnet student and a member of the NC Cross Country (XC) team and NC long-distance track team continues after her graduation in May of 2023.
Christian’s passion for running started with recreational running with her mom as they occasionally ran 5k races together. She started competing in 5ks as a seventh grader and she enjoyed it, so she continued for the rest of middle and all through high school. During her freshman year, Christian individually qualified to run at the state championship for XC. During her senior year, she attended state championships when the entire girl varsity (XC) team qualified for the first time in over five years. (Body photo here)
Although the team did not contain an official team captain, the team felt as if she filled that role in her senior year. For every race, she would run around the course trying to cheer on her fellow teammates after and before she ran her own races. She also did the same on the track team in the winter and spring for all four years of high school of her high school career.
“If she had a bad race, it may have torn her up inside, but she still put on an encouraging display for others. This alone made her teammates want to be better. And she helped them believe that they could be better,” XC and NC long-distance head coach Coach John Huff said.
Christian describes the magnet program as a difficult yet positive experience. She admits her dedication to the program and Advanced Placement (AP) classes challenged her to become a better person. If she received the chance to redo high school, she would choose the magnet program as the support of the teachers and her amazing friends made all the difference when doing such a rigorous program.
(Brenda Christian )
“There were rough times and times where I didn’t think I could keep going, but the amazing friendships, coaches, and teachers. Also, it’s easy to be positive when you have a positive group of people around you willing to support you no matter what. Senior year I really tried to be a positive influence to everyone on the team. Even if you aren’t a big leader or captain of a team, your attitude affects those around you and if you’re positive the team environment will be as well,” Christian said.
At NC she participated in organizations such as Beta Club and National Honors Society—organizations that only contain individuals who excel academically. In these organizations, she volunteered and participated in fundraisers to help the less fortunate On top of her other duties, she participated in the American Sign Language (ASL)club at NC to help with her future endeavors.
Post-graduation, Christian continues to use the values instilled in her during her high school career. As a student majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Georgia, she aspires to become a speech pathologist. Speech pathologists hold expertise in helping people communicate and swallow when they cannot due to injury, illness, or disability.
Despite her advancing in her new life at college, she did not forget about her NC ties. She still connects with the NC team by attending XC’s team time trials to support her teammates from high school and maintains contact with the current runners from the team. Christian remains involved in her community and continues to positively impact those around her.
