CARRABASSETT VALLEY-When Alexandra Albrecht leaves for college at the University of Montana at Bozeman next fall, she’ll be taking some well-learned lessons with her.
“You get a really good education at CVA, and it really prepares you for college and living away from your parents,” says Carrabassett Valley Academy’s valedictorian.
And thanks to a busy ski racing and training schedule, Albrecht knows the importance of organization and getting your work done in a timely manner. While the Rangeley native has always had the goal of pursuing a career as a ski racer, school and a degree in graphic design come first.
“I qualified for J2 Nationals last year and was in the top 25 for all (four) disciplines,” she says, but this year was focused on getting to college, not the nationals.
She hasn’t left skiing behind though and hopes to join the racing team at Bozeman. The sport has allowed her to travel to France, Italy, New Zealand, Austria, Calgary and all over the eastern United States and Canada. Of course it has also meant a year round dedication that most high school students could not even fathom.
And dedication to her schoolwork has been made evident by Albrecht’s 3.8 GPA and standing in her class.
“Academics have always come pretty easy to me,” she adds. “I’ve always been pretty motivated. And I’m kind of a perfectionist.”
Art teacher Patty Ritzo calls Albrecht a “serious student.”
“And she’s pretty serious about being an artist,” she adds. “She’s very creative. She doesn’t want to go for the typical response to an assignment. She always goes for a slightly different approach.”
Ritzo allowing her to take a different approach is the reason Albrecht chose graphic design.
“It’s really exciting for me,” Ritzo says. “At a ski academy, you don’t get many people who want to go on in art.”
Even though she’s used to being away from home and traveling, Albrecht knows going to a school on the other side of the country will be difficult at times.
“It’ll definitely be a change,” she says. “It’ll be hard to go home when I want to from there.”
But she’ll be packing some CVA memories in her suitcases to keep her from getting too homesick.
“I’ll remember all the experiences I had, the friends, the laughs and the good times,” she says.
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