By Toni Garrard Clay/AISD Communications Specialist
Wendi Pacheco is comfortable bearing responsibility. The 18-year-old Athens High School senior is set to graduate through the Early College High School Pinnacle program in May with both a high school diploma and an associate’s degree.
“I wanted a challenge,” she said of her decision to take both high school and college classes. “I also wanted to be a good role model to my brother. … I want him to not be satisfied with what most people are satisfied with.” Her brother, Jonathan, is in seventh grade.
Pacheco plays the trumpet in band and was recently named an AHS Student of the Month. The diminutive, seemingly soft spoken senior has a passion that might surprise those who don’t know her: powerlifting. Recruited by a friend her freshman year, Pacheco has qualified for the regional meet three years in a row and is working toward the goal of making it to state competition this year. To qualify for regionals in February, Pacheco must be ranked in the top 10 of the region, then lift a total of at least 645 pounds in regionals to qualify for state. Totals are taken by combining the weights lifted in three events: squat, bench press and deadlift.
“I like pushing myself and seeing results,” said Pacheco. Her height — 4 feet, 11 inches — gives her an advantage in squats and deadlifts. But the real key to performing well, she said, is physical discipline and mental toughness.
“It’s definitely a mental thing,” said Pacheco. “I’ve learned if you think you’re not going to do well, you won’t. There have been times I’ve [executed] in the weight room and then gotten there to compete and haven’t been able to do it because I was thinking negatively.”
Dinita Heitz — who is the head girls powerlifting coach, as well as a science and physics teacher — describes Pacheco as a dedicated competitor. “She does not allow anything to stand in her way,” said Heitz. “She’s a leader to the team as well. Whatever I ask of Wendi, she will do to her fullest.”
Pacheco, who describes herself as “intense,” has plans to become an attorney and, eventually, a prosecutor. “I’m very fascinated by the law and the way our judicial system works,” she said. “Over the summer, in my government class, I learned a lot about the law that we don’t all take into consideration. I want to learn it and know what our rights are.”
Her parents, Cesar and Alma Pacheco, are proud of their daughter. “They support me whenever I need help,” she said. “I think I’ve already exceeded their expectations, but not my own.”