After a successful four years at Malden High, Felicia Lombardi has become a very accomplished athlete and student. Lombardi, who is third in her class, will be leaving Malden High with great experiences and memories as a four year athlete in both soccer and swim, member of the National Honors Society, Chemistry and History Club, as well as a captain’s council member. This fall, after she attends boot camp, Lombardi will be attending the United States Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut and is extremely excited to receive a higher educational experience that emphasizes leadership, physical fitness and professional development. Lombardi stated that the Academy is not a traditional college in the sense that there are military obligations and members who attend the guard school emphasize “everyone being one team and one family” which is a “huge aspect” of the school. Lombardi’s sister Alexandra who currently attends USCGA will be there to “show her the ropes,” which Lombardi finds very “comical”.
Although recalling a specific favorite memory from high school is tough, due to the fact that she has experienced so much during her four years, Lombardi said “[she] would say [her] best memories at Malden High were getting involved with the sports teams that [she] was a part of, competing for the school, and joining clubs.”
As Lombardi is a Greater Boston League (GBL) all-star for both soccer and swim, as well as having participated in both sports long before, her love for athletics qualified enough to get recruited to play soccer and swim at USCGA. Lombardi stated that “[she] will be continuing both [sports] which may be a lot but they are big parts of who [she is] and [she has] been doing them since [she] was three years old.” Lombardi mentioned that these sports have taught her a lot about who she is and she is most definitely looking forward to continuing them in the future. In addition, becoming involved in both soccer and swim have brought forth strong friendships along with inspiration from her coaches which has been very “impactful” because she has learned a lot from them. She stated that “each [coach] has kind of seen something different in [her] at a different point in [her] life.” Outside of school, athletics takes up a lot of her time despite doing a two sport season for the high school and clubs for both year round, but also enjoys spending a lot of time with her family. “We have a really close bond… I really enjoy their company,” she states.
In spite of Lombardi’s belief that there are multiple things to miss about Malden High, one thing she will miss the most is the Malden High community itself. “There are so many different people with different interests that come together and that’s really showed [her] a lot and opened [her] mind up to a lot of things that [she] never thought [she’d] be interested in” said Lombardi. This includes the Fine Arts Department and media coverage. “This is stuff that interests [her] and [she] was never part of it [herself],” mentions Lombardi. Meeting and talking to people that are apart of such things can expand your mind to many different things.
One teacher that Lombardi believes has been impactful throughout her four years is one of Malden High’s English teachers, Yahaira Marquez. Up until Lombardi took AP Language her sophomore year, she admitted that “school came easy for [her].” Her academic level advanced as she was getting really good grades and did all her work. “She’s the first teacher that really forced me to work and really pushed me. I love the challenge that she brought forth to me and I think it translated to everything else.” Lombardi has a love for all the history and english classes that she has taken in high school as well as humanities based classes. “I love the discussion involved,” she stated. Lombardi also appreciates the engagement from all of the teachers that are a part of the history department.
From her freshman year, Lombardi has come to understand that “[her] values have stayed the same throughout [her] entire high school career, but [she’s] grown in the sense that [she] now understands a lot more about enjoying the simple things.” Going through high school, Lombardi admits that her mindset was very straightforward. “I had my goals and I was going to do everything I could to achieve them,” says Lombardi. This involves making specific decisions as far as her studies as well as athletics.
Because of this, she has acknowledged that she tended to deprive herself through high school and that’s something she now understands. “You can plan your life all you want, but it doesn’t have any meaning if you’re not enjoying it,” she says. Although attending any high school can be stressful at some point, Lombardi reminds younger students that you come across a lot of great memories. “It’s a time in your life where you have a lot of freedom, but no freedom at the same time. You don’t have all the responsibility of adulthood, yet you don’t have all the restraints of being a kid.”
Malden High admires Lombardi for what she has brought forth with her athletic abilities, honorable work, and commitment to helping the Malden community.
