Eyes glued to the screen, a young Mackenzie Schubert (12) watched as cheerleaders performed on a brightly lit football field. Schubert, influenced by her mother and sister, started doing cheer around the age of 5. 

“My mom and my sister were a very big influence on me. We were always watching cheer competitions and college football games, but not watching the football,” Schubert said. “Both my sister and my mom cheered in college so they really influenced me.”

This passion for cheer followed Schubert into high school as she was named the MVP of the cheer team her junior year, a result of what years of cheer taught her. Being a part of cheer for so many years has taught Schubert much about leadership and the importance of standing up for herself.

“Cheer has taught me leadership and being able to talk to other people professionally,” Schubert said. “Growing up it was hard for me to speak up to other people, I just let people push me around. But in the last couple of years, I’ve learned leadership and being able to speak for myself.”

Cheer has taught Schubert life lessons that she can apply to her future career path even as it is very different to the sport. Schubert wants to become a forensic detective and hopes to get an internship at the coroner’s office before pursuing her career at Purdue.

“Cheer made me a very hard-working and dedicated person. My work ethic definitely came from cheerleading,” Schubert said. “I also love forensics and a very big goal for my life is to become a forensic detective.”

On top of cheer and forensics, Schubert is also involved in clubs such as the Athletic Council and Best Buddies. Though only in the club for her freshman and senior years, Best Buddies has grabbed Schubert’s heart.

“I peer tutor two periods a day at the high school. Even though they are freshmen, I still love them as my best friends, and I can talk to them freely,” Schubert said. “I love going to all their parties and hanging out with them outside of school.” 

A love for cheer led Schubert from watching cheerleading on the TV in her living room to become MVP of the varsity cheer team and a member of the school’s athletic counsel. Schubert also shouted out her coaches; Takacs, Seibert, Swan, and Garret, who taught her how to apply her sport to her life. 

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