John Slater
Reggie Thompson
The Paw Print
It is exciting to see a young, aspirant, and driven personality in a student and few of them are more impressive than that of freshman John Slater.
A graduate of Bushnell-Prairie City High School, Slater excelled earning a 3.6 grade point average and acting as a member of the National Honor Society. In his first semester, he hopes to bring that academic talent to ASC, determined to reach a GPA in the realm of 3.75-4.0.
Like most of the selected Scholars of the Week this semester, Slater is a student-athlete; he is a member of the cross country and track teams. It is safe to say he as a full plate. Slater is a Human Performance and Physical Education (HPPE) major with an emphasis on Exercise Science and is taking 15 credit hours in this, his first semester, with classes working around his practice times.
Slater is highly motivated to learn about subjects that he feels passionate about, which is why this student-athlete chose HPPE to study.
“The nice thing about college is that you can decide your major and what you want to learn about. Exercise Science is something that I’ve been studying on my own for quite some time, so learning it in the classroom becomes much more enjoyable.”
Slater comes off as a talented individual, but he would say that his strongest attribute as a student is his problem solving and critical thinking abilities.
“I generally want to know the ‘hows’ and the ‘whys’ of what makes something work. If I’m studying something of interest to me, solving the problem is my main motivation, rather than just ‘having to complete’ a necessary assignment. I’m always trying to view things from a different angle and that is something that I feel sets me apart, the fact that I don’t always try to think conventionally and that I enjoy the problem solving process.”
With his busy schedule, this freshman says he has “no room for procrastination.”
“I’m at practice an average of three hours per day. Balance is crucial in my schedule, so I try to manage my time well. As an athlete, I also have to be getting an adequate amount of sleep to be recovering between training sessions. I make sure to utilize the free time that I do have to complete my necessary assignments or to study.”
Slater has many post-collegiate goals, but has yet to decide on one in particular.
“I have aspirations of becoming an NCAA Cross Country and Track and Field coach. I also have a deep interest in food and nutrition, so I’d like to use my knowledge to help change the American food system in some way.”
If his past is any indicator of his future, Slater is well on his way to success.
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