Junior Magdalana Williams spends her Tuesday night at a Cigarettes after Sex concert with friends. She then proceeds to wake up the next morning and win her Cross Country meet. After running 3.1 miles she heads straight to Johnson soccer practice and ends her day at a club soccer practice.
The high achieving student-athlete does all this while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
“I balance that by making sure that I’m doing things that I enjoy while also doing things that keep me productive,” Williams said. “It allows me to multitask while being social and also hanging out and getting work done.”
She took on a significant role as a freshman on both varsity cross country and track. A vital role that requires an abundance of early mornings of hard work and dedication. On top of athletics, Williams maintains a busy social life.
“I manage my schedule and by making sure that I am never procrastinating and am taking my time with everything I do,” Williams said. “I stay on top of my schoolwork by having a strict schedule and using a planner to help me keep focused on all of my work to make sure that nothing is forgotten.”
Williams has played both club and varsity Johnson soccer while running for the Varsity Johnson cross-country and track team since her freshman year.
“I go for a run, which normally averages about four to five miles a day, and then during school I have soccer practice for around 45 minutes and after school I go to club soccer, which is an hour and 15 minutes,” Williams said. “This helps me stay fit because it keeps me active and running, while also helping me focus on keeping a tight schedule.”
At the age of 12, Williams became a business owner. She is the founder of the non-profit, San Antonio Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve. During COVID, simple acts of kindness like making cards, writing letters, and making bracelets for assisted living residents inspired her to create and sell T-shirts to encourage others to take a more active role in their community.
Along with all the academic and athletic successes, she continues to run the non-profit till this day.
“My friends and my family help keep me motivated and continue what I do because of the constant support I receive,” Williams said. “It’s very helpful when you have people around you that love the same things you do and support you in those things, and love to see you succeed.”
With only eight returning players on the girls Johnson varsity soccer team, Williams will take on the difficult role of starting center back, arguably one of the most critical positions on the field. Often being the last line of defense, a center back needs agility and speed along with composure to stay in control and have excellent decision making.
“I enjoy soccer the most because I think it’s a fun team sport, and it’s not as much running, which lets me focus on skill and what I can do to improve my team, not just individual effort,” Williams said.
In her very limited free time, she enjoys reading, traveling to new places, and volunteering in her community.
“I have considered pursuing soccer after high school because I really enjoy it, and I feel like it could benefit me as a person as well as as an athlete,” Williams said.
