Photo by Madelyn Alexander Drew Roberts started running cross country and track when he was in fifth grade. His dad introduced him to running, and he hasn’t slowed down yet.
According to Roberts, cross country taught him how to maintain a life of self-discipline.
“When I’m lying comfortably in bed at 5:30 in the morning, there’s nothing I want to do less than go run for an hour, but I know it’s beneficial for me,” said Roberts.
In his “small battle every morning,” Roberts is prepared for his day. His philosophy of life is to get the most of your day. Roberts said, “If I spend a day doing nothing, I feel like it was wasted. XC [cross country] and track gives me an opportunity to start my day off meaningfully through exercise.”
“Frankly, running was the only sport I was good at. Anything with a ball didn’t work out well for me.”
In high school, Roberts liked to stick to longer distances. He would run the 1600 meter, and the 3200 meter runs, but he’s excited for the events he’ll be doing for Montevallo.
The transition to college from high school is different for every new freshman. For Roberts, “College was definitely a big change.”
“I found myself with plenty of time on my hands, but not much of an idea of how to use it.” Roberts continued, “It took some time, but I’ve been getting the hang of it and have worked out a schedule for myself to get my assignments done efficiently.”
The most significant change he found was athletically. “I’m doing much more mileage than I did in high school.”
However, he’s grateful for his teammates, “Cross country is, at its heart, a team sport, and it’s been nice to run with people of a similar pace instead of doing all my training alone.”
Roberts enjoys spending valuable time with his teammates. “They’re really fun to both run and hang out with.” He said that because of preseason training and being the only ones on campus, it was really easy to get to know his teammates.
In going to Montevallo, he was looking for a smaller school. “Montevallo was the perfect choice for me because of the size and welcoming atmosphere I felt when touring the campus.”
Roberts believes that “Montevallo [has] a really open environment where someone with my interests could really be comfortable.”
Majoring in mass communications, he wants “to do something involving advertising so mass comm seemed like the way to go.”
Whenever Roberts isn’t running, he likes to watch movies, read books and write short stories.
“Creative writing is something I’m pretty interested in, so that’s something I’d like to pursue.”
Roberts has always been a big movie fan, and the pandemic has found plenty of time to watch as many movies as he’s wanted. “For a couple of months, I watched a different movie every day, sometimes squeezing in two in one day.”
In general, Roberts has this to say about movies, “If you’re scrolling through, look for movies that you wouldn’t have previously considered watching. You may find a new favorite director or just a favorite movie in general.”
His top three movies are “Pulp Fiction,” “Boogie Nights,” and “Heathers.” The film with the most impact on his life is “Lady Bird.”
Roberts believes that “It [“Lady Bird”] should be required viewing for any high school senior.” To him, the film “paints a perfect picture of the entirety of senior year. It takes you on an emotional ride and leaves you with the message that, in the end, everything turns out okay.”
He said that in “Lady Bird” and in life the transition to “college is just another stepping stone in life and by watching the film you can deduce that things will turn out ok for Christine, [the main protagonist] and they’ll turn out ok for you as well.”
Roberts advice to other freshman is to, “Check Canvas and your email every day.” For him, “Putting all of your assignments in a calendar after you get your syllabus is the best way to stay on top of your work.”
Xander Swain is the copy editor for The Alabamian. He is majoring in political science, environmental studies, and sociology and wants to eventually obtain a Ph.D. in sociology. He enjoys cooking for his friends, listening to music and taking long walks on the beach.
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