When asking Abigail Wisdom’s (12) friends about her most memorable quality, a common response emerges: her smile. No matter if she’s in the water or on the stage, her smile and laugh are contagious to everyone around her, constantly lifting the mood and bringing a positive attitude everywhere she goes.

“Even during our serious, heartfelt conversations, we’re giggling,” her friend Sophia Angus (12) said. “She’s wonderfully considerate, sweet, and all round fun. It’s hard to put it into words, but she’s just amazing. Abby’s one of those people who can make you laugh at anything, mostly because she starts laughing and then you laugh too.”

While her friendships mean the world to her, Abigail, or “Abby” to her friends, dedicates the majority of her time to two extracurriculars: water polo and singing. Although not having the strongest start to her water polo career, her teammates’ constant support and her love for the sport have fostered her growth as an athlete since she began water polo in eighth grade.

“I never did water polo before or anything like it, and it’s a very hard sport, especially the beginning,” Abigail said. “I felt very behind and nervous. It took me a while to get it and get good, but I think having that at the beginning helped me because having those difficult experiences in the water allowed me to improve quicker.”

Through the years of attending games, practicing non stop, and enduring through rigorous swim sets and conditioning warm ups, Abby has persevered through the difficult aspects of water polo, allowing her to improve her techniques, become a better water polo player all around and achieve her goals, especially as a captain of the team this year.

“Water polo is a very aggressive and physically demanding sport, so sometimes it can be exhausting and frustrating if you feel like you’re not getting something over and over again,” she said. “From where I am right now and seeing these past four years as growth years for the team, I look back at all the work we put in and know that it was worth it. It’s been an amazing journey and has been rewarding to see us win our league.”

Besides water polo, Abby also spends her time performing, specifically singing. Participating in both Cantilena and the Spring Musical, Abby is actively involved within the performing arts community, as it has been part of her life since she was young, with her mom as an opera singer and her aunt as a music teacher.

“It was a big part of their lives, and they kind of made it a big part of my life too,” Abby said. “Singing connects me to my family, and although it’s not necessarily something that I’ve always felt comfortable about, it’s always been something I’ve been sure and secure about in my life.”

Although water polo and singing are seemingly different on the surface, both activities challenge Abby with pressures that push her to develop her skills and exceed others’ expectations. While water polo induces stress by including a system based on scoring points and comparing numbers, singing incorporates the task of striving to please one’s audience and constantly wondering if the performance achieved its purpose.

“Performing is one of the most terrifying things, like having to audition for teacher or perform in front of people not knowing if they’re going to like it,” Abby said. “But just having fun with your friends in the rehearsal process, feeling confident during the performance and doing your best regardless of what other people think makes this experience worth it and makes myself proud of my work.”

Balancing her time between sports and performing arts proves to be quite a struggle, but Abby still manages to find time to spend with her friends, especially if it includes a night in watching Netflix and eating mac and cheese, according to her friend Dilara Ezer (12).

“I think Abby does a great job of balancing all her activities, and it’s really unique how she’s so passionate about so many things that don’t necessarily intertwine,” Dilara said. “I’ve gotten to know her really well, and I’ve learned that while she’s still super sweet, compassionate, and cares a lot about her friends, there’s a completely different side to her that’s outgoing, goofy and crazy, which is even better than I would ever expect.”

Even though Abby partakes in a wide diversity of activities, she connects her interests and these parts of her life through her dedication and love for each group, whether it be her water polo team or her choir.