ABOVE: Seniors Londyn Bowers and Griffin Studer are this year’s recipients of Truman’s AAA award for their artistic, athletic and academic prowess.

TRUMAN – Seniors Griffin Studer and Londyn Bowers have been selected by Truman Public Schools as their Triple A winners for excellence in the arts, athletics and academics.

Griffin Studer has been a band person artistically. He plays percussion, and unlike many other instruments which have multiple students playing at one time, Studer is the only percussionist, and depending on the song arrangement, a lot can be riding on his shoulders.

“They rely on me for the music we do, keeping the band in tune and rhythm so you don’t get lost,” he said.

Athletically, Studer has been committed to baseball, football and basketball since fourth grade. In his pursuit of success in these areas, Studer said sports have become very important to him.

“I’m a very competitive person,” he said. “I like to compete, and it’s also given a lot of relationships that I’ll probably carry on throughout high school and later on in my life.”

In his classes, Studer is currently at a 3.7 GPA, and in his PSEO offerings has been able to pursue one career track, then a second after the first didn’t shake out.

“I wanted to be a chiropractor, so I took a lot of medical classes,” he said. “I switched over, and I’m gonna go into electrical construction, try to be an electrician.”

Being able to think his future through in this way at the high school level is something Studer said means a lot to him.

“Here they try to guide you in the direction you want to go and help you along,” he said.

Studer has been an athletic leader as a captain in football and baseball the last two years, and basketball this year. As a leader, he said he is looked up to by a lot of the younger kids.

“I have to set a good example of what it means to be captain and what you should strive and work hard for,” Studer said. “I like being a good role model.”

Studer has volunteered through coaching baseball in the summer and working as part of the field clean-up crew. He said he enjoys working with the kids, loves the sport and it makes him feel good that he is helping their development in baseball.

Looking forward, Studer is attending Ridgewater Community College to play baseball and pursue his aforementioned electrician career. By being selected for his success in the three A’s, he said he is happy to be the next in a family line of Triple A winners.

“Both my sisters [Lydia and Eden] got this award,” Studer said. “Carrying that on and all the work I put into academics and athletics.”

Like Studer, Londyn Bowers claims band as her main artistic outlet. She said it has always been a fun pursuit for her and has stuck out in her mind. She plays the clarinet, though she had in the past wanted to play trumpet.

Bowers has been in volleyball and basketball since fourth grade and track and field since her sophomore year, switching over from softball. She said her passion for softball had gone, and she wanted to switch it up.

“Track was always something I thought about because everyone always talks about how track can help you overall with your other sports,” Bowers said. “So I decided on that.”

Of the two main sports she has competed in, volleyball is her favorite and has been her biggest focus athletically.

“I definitely put in the most work when it comes to volleyball,” Bowers said. “I play club volleyball, and I’m always putting in work in the off-season. Volleyball is my main focus and something I felt the most passionate toward.”

Academically, Bowers has a 4.0 GPA and has taken PSEO classes for the past three years. To maintain a GPA of that caliber, Bowers said it takes a lot of balance.

“It’s really finding where you care most about,” she said. “Making sure you make the time for everything. Don’t put it off and do your work right away.”

Like Studer, Bowers has been a leader in both volleyball and basketball as a captain. For her, being a captain is about reliability.

“Your teammates can look towards you whether they need help or even if they’re just struggling,” Bowers said. “It really shows who you are. I think being a captain is a great thing, because it shows you care and put great effort into what you do.”

In volunteering, Bowers has been involved in the backpack program bagging lunches for kids and helping with kids’ volleyball and basketball tournaments.

Looking forward, Bowers said she doesn’t have a major picked out yet, but she is going to Gustavus Adolphus to play volleyball.

To have been chosen for this award is something she feels she has worked hard to achieve.

“Not just in the sports side, but academics,” Bowers said. “It does feel good to be recognized.”