It is not often that you meet somebody in life who utterly blows you away with their sheer capacity for all things extra-curricular. Whether it be sports, community service or leadership, Lindsey Kenyon seems to have all bases covered. In 2009 she completed her TEE (achieving fantastic results) and was elected by her peers as one of 12 prefects to represent the student body of Carine Senior High School. On top of that, she earned a place in the Western Australian State School Girls Soccer team and competed in the National School Girls Soccer Tournament, impressing the organisers and receiving a place in the Australian School Girls Shadow Squad. It was not surprising to anyone when she tied with her best friend to receive the Sportswoman award for the Carine SHS Class of 2009. After such a busy year in 2009, Lindsey is enrolled at Edith Cowan University and completing a double degree in Arts (Education) and Biological Science in 2010.

After reading that brief introduction many of you are probably left wondering, like I was, just how Lindsey managed to undertake such a big load of extracurricular activities as well as completing Year 12 (a task that in itself is often gruelling and time consuming). After speaking with her about it, the key to such success lies in one word. Balance. A balance between friends, family, sport and school activities was the most important thing that she kept in mind over the last 12 months, especially when competing in the National School Girls Soccer Tournament – missing a week of school in the middle of semester.

Lindsey says, “I communicated with my teachers a lot and learnt well before the competition what I would need to do in order to maintain my workload and find that elusive balance.” As well as this, she emphasizes the fact that having a supportive group of people behind you, whether that be family, friends or teachers was crucial in keeping up with everything going on in her life.

That’s not to say that she breezed through everything without any challenges presenting themselves along the way – the year had its ups and downs, but nobody ever doubted that if anyone could do what she was undertaking, it would be Lindsey Kenyon. When I asked her what her tip was to overcome these challenges that we are all bound to face at one stage or another, she said that “Keeping everyone involved in my learning and informed in regards to what I was doing and how I was coping was a big way to overcome my challenges. Asking for help was often daunting, but I found that most people are willing to help if you just ask.”

It takes a special kind of person to be that involved with so many different things and still excel in everything that they do, and Lindsey Kenyon is certainly an incredibly special person. I know that because I have had the privilege of being her friend through all of this and have watched her rise to every challenge and come out on top regardless of the situation, I’ve also trekked to Mandurah after school in the Northern Suburbs to watch her compete in the National School Girls Soccer Tournament, but that is a story for another time. There is definitely a lot that others can take from her story – the importance of balance, communication and support. These three things proved crucial to Lindsey’s success and I am sure that her words and experiences can help other people to succeed in any field of extra curricular activities, sporting or otherwise.