On a typical WaKeeney-Trego game night at home, Annabelle Malsam is a basketball player, drummer, dancer and photographer all in one night. 

First, the sophomore will be on the court with the Golden Eagles. Following the game, she'll play the drums with the band for a bit, and then grab her camera and take photos of the boys' game. 

Malsam will then join the danceline team for a performance, before heading back to the band and then back to photography. 

It's a hectic way to spend an evening, but Malsam wouldn't have it any other way.  

"I've always been one to try new things for sure," Malsam said. "I really love being involved with the school in different ways and different perspectives as much as I can.  

"Anything I enjoy, I just kind of take it on as a hobby and try to work it into my schedule. The more things I'm involved in, the more natural it feels. It's kind of like a natural habitat for me." 

Malsam -- this week's Capitol Federal True Blue® Student of the Week -- is a three-sport athlete (volleyball, basketball, track) in addition to being active in band, dance, Scholars Bowl, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Kansas Association for Youth among other things. 

She's also a student journalist for the school's digital media team, allowing her to fuel her passion for photography.  

"I've always liked looking at pictures. I would look at things and go, 'Oh, that would make a good picture,' " Malsam said. "I got my first camera two years ago and I started just taking sports pictures of my brother and anything that was happening where I was at.  

"Then I slowly got better at it and started asking my friends to model for me. I've really got into it and really enjoyed it, so I decided to make it into a hobby I could benefit from." 

 

Malsam, who is currently starting her own photography business, maintains a 4.0 grade-point average while juggling all of her different hobbies.  

"I struggled with (time management) at first, but I kind of figured it out," Malsam said. "I have a calendar that I keep in my phone, because otherwise I can't keep track. But just writing things down and keeping it all organized and figuring out how to prioritize is very important for me." 

WaKeeney-Trego athletic director Jeremy Samson said having student-athletes like Malsam is imperative for small schools like Trego to maintain quality programs. 

"She's just one of those students who in my eyes embodies what it means to be a true student-athlete," Samson said. "She's involved in not just athletics but activities galore. She basically last year as a freshman took care of all the yearbook photos through the pandemic and stuff we were dealing with last year. Just a great example of how to be a great student-athlete and a great student in general." 

Malsam is a starter for the Golden Eagles basketball team, which is ranked No. 7 in Class 2A after going 20-4 last year and reaching the state tournament.

"It was definitely one of the hardest seasons we've had because everyone was quarantined at different times and all of that," Malsam said. "But I really did realize that I had some of my best friends on that team. We really came together and went on to sub-state and state, which I was out for because I had a concussion. But it just felt like a true team, and I had never really been a part something that really felt that close."

The Eagles are 3-0 on the season after pulling out an overtime win against Ness City on Friday. 

"We did lose some key players from last year, but we are doing good this year," Malsam said. "We're definitely a different team, but I don't think that's completely a bad thing. I think we just have different things to build off of. With a smaller team we have a lot more time to build and a lot more chances to get some one-on-one time to build around strengths."

While college is still a couple years away, Malsam said she is planning to attend Fort Hays State and major in education. 

"I'm not sure what kind of teacher I want to be yet, but I want to be involved with kids, involved with the school, and keep carrying on with photography through that," Malsam said. 

Asked what advice she would give students thinking about getting involved in activities, Malsam stressed the importance of being open to take on new things of interest. 

 "I would say try as many things as you want," she said. "If you don't truly enjoy it, don't be afraid to not do it, because you can always find something that you really do enjoy. There's so many opportunities.  

"I think it's really important to be involved in some different things in school because they all teach you different things about life, and they all give you different perspectives on how to deal with different situations."