The
5 STUDENT ATHLETES OF INTEREST
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE
BY GREG GARDNER
Hard work — and not
68
the luck of the Irish
— is responsible
for the success of
Crystal Durham as
a student, athlete and dancer.
Winner of the 2009 Bright
Futures Academic Top Scholar
Award for St. Lucie County,
Durham was also named Female
Scholar-Athlete of the Year at Lincoln
Park Academy last year.
“I’ve always been one of those
students who like to do my best,”
says Durham. “I don’t like to disappoint
people. I bring home my
grades and show my parents and
they are super proud. Even before
I was in school, when I was
a toddler, my dad would read
to me. My parents were always
buying educational games.”
Durham, thanks to dual enrollment
classes in high school, is in
her first year at the University of
Florida as a sophomore. “Going
through the IB International
Baccalaureate program made
the adjustment a lot easier,”
says Durham. “I had to write a
10-page term paper. I wrote it in
three nights and it didn’t even
phase me. I’m the biggest procrastinator
in the world. Weirdly
enough, I’m not even a little bit
organized. When I know something
is due, I get it done. I think
As a 12-year-old, Crystal Durham appeared on “Kids’ Jeopardy.” In high school at Lincoln Park Academy, she
played volleyball and softball and was an Irish dancer. Named St. Lucie County’s top Bright Future Scholar last
year, today she is a sophomore at the University of Florida.
I work well under pressure.”
Also contributing to Durham’s transition to college life was
a summer of classes at Indian River State College, where her
mother is an instructor. “It boosted my GPA, gave me more
credits and gave me a taste of what to expect, but IB was
harder than dual enrollment,” Durham says.
Even while juggling a full course load at UF, Durham finds
time to play intramural indoor and beach volleyball. Her
four-year career on the varsity Lincoln Park team included
two years honorable mention on the all-area media team. She
also played two years junior varsity softball at first base and
two years varsity in the outfield.
Irish step dancing — after a thirst to learn — was Durham’s
first passion before she entered organized sports. “Crystal is a
bundle of energy,” says Chanda Newman, her dance instructor
for 12 years at The Rondeau School of Irish Dance. “She
wants to please everybody. She’s a perfectionist. She does
everything — school, dance, softball, volleyball. She has a
great ear for music, rhythm and muscle tone.”
This past Christmas, Crystal came home from college and
danced in a show with the Rondeau dance students. “She’s
always there for me,” says Newman. “She is good with the
little kids. I miss her.”
“She’s a fantastic person and you would want her to come
back here after college,” says Rick Gray, who teaches IB
History of the Americas. “I’ve had IB students forever and I
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