UGA gymnast and Franklin College triple major Lindsey Cheek sets the bar for "Amazing Student" somewhere out near the Gama Quadrant:
I didn’t start college like the normal student. I graduated high school in December and immediately joined the gymnastics team. When the spring semester began in January I was competing on three events when I should have been a senior in high school. During that season I was named freshman of the week once, and eventually earned first team All-American honors on vault at the NCAA National Championships.
Unfortunately, during my sophomore year I was faced with an injury that kept me from competing for most of the season. However, I again went on to earn first team All-American honors on vault at the NCAA National Championships. Additionally, I was named to the UGA Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.
As a junior, I was named NACGC/W regular season second team All-American on beam. I also earned NCAA first team All-American honors on vault and second team honors on beam at the NCAA National Championships. Additionally, I was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll as well as the UGA Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.
Through my junior year, I earned 10 career event titles; during my senior season, I earned 21 career event titles. As a senior, I was named SEC Event Specialist of the week twice, and then went on to be named the inaugural SEC Event Specialist of the Year by the league’s head coaches. I was also named to the All-SEC Team, as well as the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
So, maybe Star Trek is fictional but this amazing student is definitely the real thing. A hometown product (Oconee County) made great, Lindsey embodies everything that we can imagine one might want to get out a university experience - elite-level athletics, discovering an academic passion [experimental biology] and solid preparation for professional school [medicine]. Congratulations on these major accomplishments and thank you for being a wonderful inspiration for all of our students.