Makena Charles is so many different things to different people; she is a daughter, a sister, a friend, a leader, a student, and an athlete, to name a few. In high school, you need to understand the importance of work balance, even more so if you are a student-athlete. Charles, a senior at Pennridge High School, has been on the girls’ lacrosse team since her freshman year while continuing to hold herself to higher academic standards than the average student. She works hard in the classroom and on the field, constantly pushing herself to get better. She continuously puts in maximum effort in all aspects of her life, making her a great example of how to manage to be a student, an athlete, and a normal teenage girl. It takes a lot of dedication to do what Charles does day in and day out, but she leans on her family and friends as a support system. Charles stated, “I would have never been able to become the athlete I am today without the support of my teammates and family.”
Growing up, Charles played a couple of different sports. She danced, cheered, played basketball, and ran track for one day until changing her middle school spring sport in 8th grade to lacrosse. From that point on, Charles fell in love with the sport and is now committed to Quinnipiac to play lacrosse in college. However, the road to getting to where she is today was not easy; she had to overcome many internal and external challenges along the way. One big challenge Charles faced early on was making the high school lacrosse team. During her freshman year, there were way more girls trying out than the number of players allowed on the team, and because of that, there would be cuts. When talking about that experience, Charles explained how she was so nervous about making the team, but thankfully, she did and explained how ecstatic she was when she found out. But that joy was shortly dimmed when Charles ran into the issue of deciding between her two different passions, cheer and lacrosse. She had done competitive cheer for about 9 years before trying out lacrosse in 8th grade; she loved both and decided to continue being a part of both teams. But after trying to juggle both sports during her freshman year of high school, she realized just how much of a commitment both teams needed from her and decided to end her cheer career after her 10th season. When asked how Charles felt choosing to end something that was such a big part of her life, she said, “It was bittersweet, but I don’t regret it because lacrosse has given me so much to be grateful for.”
Charles has accomplished so much in her lacrosse career and is just getting started. At the end of her freshman season, she received the Most Improved Award, which still rings true to this day. Charles’s improvement from 8th grade to her senior year is inspiring, to say the least. She started off not knowing whether or not she would get cut, and now she is a varsity starter committed to playing division one lacrosse. Charles is a prime example of how someone can accomplish tasks they may deem unattainable at first by working hard and believing in themselves. Charles strives to become the best version of herself as a person and as a player; others can see that. She is a great role model to her younger brother, as he gets to see firsthand what it takes to be a student-athlete in high school. Charles is also a leader on the lacrosse team. One of her teammates, Natalie Berke, described Charles as “A funny but hardworking player and someone the underclassmen can look up to.”
High school can be a challenging and stressful time for any student, but when you throw playing a sport into the mix, it tends to increase the difficulty of being a teenager. The Pennridge girls’ lacrosse team season goes from the beginning of March to the middle of May but can continue longer depending on playoffs. When not in season, there are practices for the rest of the year, a couple of days a week. Additionally, there are club teams, of which Charles is a part, with their commitments throughout the year. So, it can be difficult to fit in both team commitments, have time to do school work, focus on yourself, and make time for family and friends, all at such a young age. Charles talked about her experience balancing all the different moving parts of her life but mentioned how distractions and support systems make a positive difference for her. She said, “There are definitely times I get overwhelmed with school and lacrosse, but doing both with my friends really helps me find joy in times of stress.”
It is impossible to describe someone in one word; there are layers to everyone you wouldn’t be able to tell just by walking by or having a brief conversation with them. Makena Charles has many defining qualities that are bigger than just being a good student or an athlete. She is a kind person with an outgoing personality who loves her family and friends. She has many hobbies and wants to see the world. Charles has a passion for helping people, and after graduating college, she wants to be a math or science teacher. Lacrosse is a big part of her life, but it is not her whole world; just that one thing does not define her. Charles is excited about what her future holds, and one piece of advice she would give others is, “Work hard, play hard, and have fun.”
