Checking in with ... Sean Leonard Power (St. Bernard)
(Editor's note: The Day will be publishing a profile of a spring athlete for each day the high school athletic season is suspended.)
School: St. Bernard School
Class: Senior
Sports: Boys' track & field
Events: 1,600 meters
College choice: Fordham University
Chosen major: Political Science
Athlete you grew up admiring: running legend John Kelley
Favorite high school class: Latin
Checking in with Sean: “I live in Mystic and came to be a student at St. Bernard after deciding to continue on with a Catholic education, which I think was one of the most important decisions of my life. Being a Saint is something I will never forget and my time at the school has instilled in me countless lessons and provided more memories than I ever could have imagined.”
What you need to know about Sean: Power, who also competes in cross country and indoor track, decided to make running his sport when he started jogging with the middle school cross country team, which was coached by his father. “At first, I joked about a lack of complicated rules or expensive equipment, but I soon came to love the sport and everything it entailed,” he said. The best moment of his high school track career would be running the state qualifying time in the 1,600 meters during indoor season. “In a hugely overcrowded meet and after waiting almost 12 hours for the race, I was seeded 25th out of 25 in my heat. I began the race as far on the outside as possible with a waterfall start. Even so, I destroyed my previous personal record and finished second in my heat with a time of 4 minutes, 48 seconds." While he's upset senior-related events aren’t being held in the traditional way, Power is happy that he can celebrate in some manner with virtual graduations and banquets. He was a CIAC scholar-athlete and picked to be class orator at graduation on May 22. “Honestly, it didn’t take too long to decide what to speak about for the oration. It felt so natural and right," he said. "Certainly, I spent quite a while fine-tuning my thoughts, but I knew I wanted to talk about the most important things I learned at St. Bernard. It is something I feel incredibly honored to have been able to do. ... Once a Saint, always a Saint!" Power is looking forward to attending Fordham, which he chose because of its core Jesuit values. He believes majoring in political science is a good fit for him. He took an active role in student government in high school. “I have taken an increased interest in it over the past four years, along with criminal justice and homeland security," he said. "I like being able to lead others in working together to overcome issues, and I believe pursuing political science would allow me to fully take advantage of this passion."
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