PAY ATTENTION STUDENTS, PARENTS, EDUCATORS, AND FUTURE EMPLOYERS. JUST LISTEN.
Sam Wadlington earned the title of Fort Bend Christian Academy valedictorian with a formula that is simply, simple.
"I take my work ethic to everything I do," he said. "From playing ping pong to working out getting ready for the season to working on a school project. I take it everywhere."
The future Purdue Boilermaker hit the books, but the three-year letterman also has had the balance of baseball.
"Baseball is my outlet. It allows me to forget everything going on at school," he said. "My academics helped me in baseball. I'm pretty analytical. I can pick up on tendencies really quick. I bat sixth and I see when the pitcher gets an 0-1 count that he throws a curveball, every time. I just sit on the curveball.
"Or in the field, when a lefty is hitting .600 when he pulls the ball, I shift at second base. It's just natural."
Make no mistake Wadlington is a gifted student, but he takes a page out of his favorite baseball player's playbook.
"I love Mike Trout. He's just consistent, works freakishly hard and is so humble. He downplays how big of a superstar he is. He lives the right way. I try and emulate that," he said. "When a few stories came out about me, my teammates looked at me and were kind of shocked. They'd say, 'I knew you were smart, but not (that) smart'.
"I just realized that I could balance taking seven AP courses, play baseball – being the first one in and last one out – and work out. It actually helps me time manage better with more things going on. I just put my head down and do the work."
He even has a plan, when his plan doesn't work out.
"Everyone has their ups and downs," he said. "No one makes a 100 on every test. If they say they do, they are lying. Just trust your instincts and if you have a bad day or test score, don't get overwhelmed and caught up in it. Just go back, get better and master the problem. That's how I work when I have an obstacle or a missed opportunity."
Wise beyond his years, Wadlington is your typical self-starter. He has support around him but has an unquenched internal drive.
"My parents checked my grades like five times in school, total," he said. "They never pressured me. This has been my own dedication and motivation. They are super supportive and didn't really care about the grades, they just wanted to know that I was working my hardest and trying to do my best."
Wadlington heads to Purdue in the Fall and was one of 50 students across the country to be accepted into the school's Integrated Business and Engineering program.
"The goal is to manage a team of engineers," he said. "The people who move up in companies are versatile. This degree will allow me to create like an engineer and apply what we do as a businessman. I'd love to end up in a CFO role one day."
As he says goodbye to FBCA, the best is yet to come for Wadlington.
"High school has been great, but the work doesn't end here, this is just the beginning. I have a great opportunity in college and beyond. I want to go change the world. It's full throttle, now."
