Taken at a Rugby game on Speer’s field, Alondra Zamudio is seen on the far right with her teammates mid game. In the image, Zamudio is grabbing the rugby ball while looking back at players on the opposing team to pass it onto her teammates on the left.
While the final bell rings and students flee outside the classrooms to leave the school building, she’s headed the opposite way to the field.
Currently a part of Speer’s Rugby team, Zamudio plays as a ‘back’, occasionally taking on the role of a scrum half or wing. Her position consists of passing the ball to teammates after an opponent is tackled. Despite this being her only year playing rugby, she’s managed to take a passion in the sport and make a name for herself on the team. In the next few months, Zamudio will step off the field and onto the track, a sprinter on Speer’s Track & Field team.
Academically, Zamudio is a top student in math, using her passion to her advantage as she excels in her AP Calculus AB class compared to her many struggling classmates. She is one of the best performing students in Mr. Notar’s third-period class, striving to do the best she can no matter the circumstances and helping those around her with a smile. In her other classes, Zamudio also has a great performance, enrolled in mostly AP classes and Dual Credit for English.
Additionally, she is one of the five students already doing an internship at the Shedd Aquarium, having an advantage that almost every other student doesn’t have right now. With this advantage, she’ll stand out to colleges more than the average student and gain experience of what it’s like to work near sea animals and professionals in the field of marine biology.
Alondra Zamudio is an outstanding student of Speer’s class of 2026–there’s no doubt about it. Her bubbly and respectful personality shows just that, along with her sheer determination that pushes her far to reach her goals. From academics to rugby to her internship, Zamudio has many tasks to balance, yet she is diligently managing to make it all work; something not of shock to anybody close to her!
I interviewed Zamudio to hear more about her interests, memories, and goals revolving around high school and what follows.
Is math your favorite subject? If so, why?
“I would say math is my favorite subject because I feel like I catch on to it really quickly, and there’s always an explanation on why we do the things we do in math.”
Why did you choose to play rugby this year? What’s your favorite thing about it?
“I decided to play rugby this year because it has always piqued my interest, but I’ve always been scared to, and I didn’t know if it was for me. Since this is my senior year, I figured, why not? It’s my last year anyway. My favorite thing about rugby is being part of a team in which we all get along and learn to communicate, and build new bonds with each other.”
What do you want to do after high school? If college, which one and why? What do you want to study?
“After high school, I plan on going to college to study animal sciences to later become a vet. Right now, I am thinking about going to the University of Wisconsin-Madison because they have programs for students planning on going into that field.”
What’s one memory from high school that you’ll never forget?
“A high school memory I will never forget is winning the Noble Championship with my track team during sophomore year because those girls are now some of my best friends, and I feel like our team was really at its peak that year.”
What is one piece of advice that you would give to the underclassmen?
“A piece of advice I would give the lowerclassmen is to stay on top of their work and keep their grades up because that GPA will follow them throughout all 4 years.”