By Randee Schmitt

With eager eyes and big dreams, senior Galen McAllister continues to finish his last year of high school strong.

Running back for the Mavericks, McAllister signed to Yale University on Feb. 6 in hopes of continuing with his football career while managing to keep his academics a priority.

“The campus has a nice feel with new coaches and a new way of recruiting,” McAllister said. “I wanted to go somewhere known for their academics, but still play football. It’s the best of both worlds.”

From a young age, McAllister has explored his many talents, finding out what he does best. Between piano lessons, singing lessons, dance lessons, and numerous attempts at playing various sports, he says early on in his life he learned how to balance everything he involved himself in until it “became natural.”

“Football has always been a passion of mine,” McAllister said. “My parents put me into activities and let me try what I wanted, and football stuck.”

Aside from shining of the field as a football player, McAllister also finds comfort in the spotlight on stage as a current member of the Madison Chorale.

“I started singing ever since I was out the womb,” McAllister said. “I began voice lessons in sixth grade and they correlated with the piano lessons I was taking at the time. I’ve always loved singing and being in the choir at Madison has brought me so far. It gave me an intense love and passion for it.”

Taking classes including AP biology, AP government, AP calculus, and AP English, McAllister ranked number eleven in his class. He hopes to become an anesthesiologist or sports medicine physician when he’s older.

“I have a passion for what I do and I know what I want to be in life,” McAllister said. “It motivates me to strive to get to where I want to be. I just want to be successful.”