Colin Maher, senior, earned the Scholar Award for his outstanding GPA throughout his years of high school, balancing learning with a love for sports.

Since his youth, Maher has always aspired to be the best he can be. From the pitch to the classroom, he has given it his all in everything he does. His intrinsic motivation, hardly rivaled elsewhere, drove him to where he is now: an outstanding athlete and academic.

“Ever since I was a little kid, I had always aspired to attend a good college. My belief is that all of my hard work now will pay off for me in the future where I can achieve my dreams,” Maher said.

Maher’s talent does not end on the soccer field. In fact, this is his first year playing soccer for Hoffman Estates. His love for sports begins on the ice, where Maher plays as a top level youth hockey player, traveling often to countries such as Italy, Austria, and Germany to compete in tournaments.

“For as long as I can remember, I have been playing hockey,” said Maher. “Although these experiences have been incredible and unforgettable, it is quite difficult to complete school work and maintain good grades.”

What is his trick? The gifted hockey and soccer player thinks about his end goals. Even if sports take up his time, he realizes the value of a textbook, homework, and discussions within the classroom that eventually prepare him for his future.

“For me personally, whenever I feel stressed and exhausted with the workload I have, I just need to think about what the end product of my hard work is. This reminds me that whatever struggle I may endure now, I will be repaid with relative ease in my success later in life,” Maher said.

Maher has had many classes he has enjoyed over the years, but one teacher that stood out to him was Thomas Beebe, his junior varsity lacrosse coach and AP Psychology teacher. Beebe has stood by him for years as an adviser and mentor, believing in Colin’s abilities as a student, an athlete, and even as a mentor himself.

“After teaching for fifteen years, I can easily state that Colin is in the top one percent of all my students with his superior intellect and strong work ethic,” Beebe said. “Colin was an asset to my course because he sacrificed his limited time to help struggling students.”

Maher has made an impeccable impression on all of the people he has interacted with throughout his years at Hoffman Estates and embodies the qualities expected of a Scholar Athlete: intellect, involvement, and leadership.