Oswego East Student-Athlete of the Week-Julius Max

One of the most physically demanding sports a person can play competitively is swimming. The rigorous schedule and demands physically and emotionally are not for the faint of heart. Fortunately for the Oswego Co-op team, junior Julius Max is more than willing to rise to the occasion, dedicating himself to becoming the best swimmer he can be while simultaneously challenging himself in the classroom. These reasons, and more, are why he is this week's Oswego East student-athlete of the week.

Julius' dive into competitive swim happened later in his life than most of his teammates. "I started swimming in 8th grade after a day spent at my cousin's house in their pool when they encouraged me to swim competitively," says Julius.

His parents, Gina and Jamie Max remember their son as always being active but eventually finding swimming as his calling. "Since he was young, Julius was always involved in a sport," says Gina and Jamie. They go on to add, "He played soccer, basketball, baseball, and lacrosse. When he found swimming, mostly by accident, he became hooked. One of his early coaches told him that even though he started swimming much later than most kids, he could work hard and catch up, something he never forgot."

After competing on the J.V. team as a freshman, Julius wanted to continue putting in as much work as possible to position himself to have a big junior season on the varsity team. "I became serious with swimming my sophomore year," says Julius. He goes on to say, "I worked hard in my club and last year's high school season. I try to be the hardest worker in the room because I know almost everyone has more experience so I have to work harder."

Swimming in the 100 freestyle and 100 fly Julius is hoping to do whatever he can to help the team be successful in the conference and sectional meets. In addition to being one of the hardest workers in the room, Julius' leadership shows in how he treats his younger teammates. "Julius takes new/younger swimmers under his wing to help them out," says Erik Enslen, head swimming coach. He adds, "He works hard at every practice and is a true team leader."

Foreign language teacher Fatima Lopez has the privilege of seeing Julius as both a strong student and leader. "Julius and my son, Nico, swim together for the high school team," says Fatima. She goes on to add, "Since last year, he made sure that Nico felt accepted by the team and helped keep an eye on him. Julius volunteers to drive Nico whenever the team gets together to celebrate their accomplishments. Nico knows he can always count on him."

Combining Julius' efforts and successes in the pool with those in the classroom paints a clear picture of who he is as a person. "Julius is extremely hard-working," says Gina and Jamie. They go on to add, "when he decides to focus on something, he does it to completion, to the best of his ability."

That effort has earned him a 4.5 G.P.A., despite enrolling in rigorous courses such as AP U.S. History, AP Biology, AP Physics, Honors Spanish 4, and Honors Medical Interventions this year, including four other AP courses taken freshmen and sophomore year. Julius has shown a high propensity to excel in all subjects, math and science seem to be his biggest strengths, with Gina and Jamie saying, "We learned early in Julius' life that math came easy to him. He has a great memory and he enjoys complex problems. Science is very similar for him."

Julius hopes to take his love of science and major in molecular biology at college. "I find it interesting working with DNA in class, and how you can essentially swap out DNA to rid people of genetic diseases," says Julius.

Heather French, Julius' AP Biology teacher, understands what makes Julius so successful, saying, "Julius is incredibly diligent with his work." She goes on to say, "He makes sure to come to class prepared and works hard to understand the material on his own, but isn't afraid to ask questions if necessary. He's also a great group member that does his work to the best of his ability. I think he will be successful in molecular biology. He has taken all of the right coursework to better understand the topic and works hard to make sure he does well in those courses."

Juggling a rigorous course load with a sport that calls for two practices a day during different points of the season is a daunting task for anyone, but Julius manages to thrive in both areas. For future Wolves' who are looking for ingredients to his success, Julius says, "Make sure to work hard in all of your courses, not just necessarily the ones you like. It is important to be well-rounded because you have no idea how many little things in one class relate to another." It's clear Julius' ability to be well-rounded as an athlete and student has a positive impact on the success of both himself and his teammates, and the future looks to be very bright for this talented junior.