Annapolis High School's Tiesha Macker played softball and volleyball for the Panthers, will attend West Virginia Wesleyan next year and is a DigitalSports Applause Scholarship winner.
Annapolis High School's Tiesha Macker with her adopted parents Eujene and Susan during Senior Day for the Panthers.
Knocking down a spike in volleyball or snagging a softball in center field will always make
Annapolis High School senior Tiesha Macker smile. But what is more important to positive-thinking 19-year-old is that the people around her are also smiling.
She goes to extra lengths in her pursuit of happiness by working two jobs year round, excelling in sports and succeeding in the classroom, which is why Macker is the Anne Arundel County female winner of the
DigitalSports Applause Scholarship for the spring.
The DigitalSports Applause Scholarship is awarded in the amount of $500 toward the college education of an outstanding senior student-athlete who has exhibited great courage in overcoming adversity in order to make a positive contribution to his or her team.
In 2007-2008, DigitalSports has named 22 Applause Scholarship winners
in the Baltimore area, representing more than $11,000 in scholarship
awards. Winners have come from Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Howard
counties, as well as Baltimore City, the MIAA and the IAAM.
"I love helping people," said Macker, who will attend West Virginia Wesleyan College next year and works in the dietary department at an assisted living home for the elderly. "It makes me happy to make other people happy. I love helping people and making them smile."
Said softball coach Valerie Rhodes: "Tiesha isn't your typical teenager. She really has a big heart and it's obvious on and off the field. She just wants to put a smile on everyone's face."
Macker has worked in the nursing home since she was 14. When she's not helping the elderly, she clocks in at Dogwood Acres Canine Academy, a pet boarding and daycare facility in Davidsonville. It's there she gets to care for one of her other loves: animals.
Macker's urge to help people (and animals) may stem from her childhood, when she was helped. At 14 months old, she entered the foster care system and at the age of nine, was taken in by Eujene and Susan Mobley. The Mobleys, who adopted Macker's older brother, Tony, were able to officially adopt Macker five years ago.
"I'm happy they adopted me because they've taught me a lot," Macker said.
Mr. Mobley is a local pastor, an Annapolis graduate and played football and wrestled at the school. He introduced wrestling to Macker, who excelled in the male-dominated sport until basketball, volleyball and softball took precedent when she got to high school. Mrs. Mobley has been a nurse for 20 years and plays the piano.
Macker described her adopted parents as very strict and credited them with helping her stay on top of her studies.
"They pushed me and helped me strive to get better grades," said Macker, who sported a 3.3 grade-point average, was a Minds In Motion award winner and wants to pursue a master's degree in criminal justice.
"I was a volunteer coach during her junior year and she stood out because of her passion," Annapolis volleyball coach Keisha Taylor-Wallace said. "I loved how she expressed herself. Her junior year, she was awarded the most improved player and that just showed me how much she grew."
Macker's growth continued off the court. Taylor-Wallace works in the Court of Appeals in Annapolis and arranged an internship for Macker, which sparked her interest in criminal justice.
Macker, a strong defensive player, was second on the team with 62 digs to go along with 18 aces and 26 kills. Macker has plans to walk on to the volleyball team at West Virginia Wesleyan -- another testament to Taylor-Wallace's teachings.
"Tiesha is just one of those girls that I have truly become friends with," Taylor-Wallace said about the team captain. "With her grades and sports, she did exactly what she had to do and to watch her move onto the next level is just overwhelming. She always demonstrated leadership skills and would always strive to help out her teammates."
On the softball team, the three-year varsity player batted .250, stole three bases and drove in five runs this past spring. Rhodes said Macker's strength was her eye at the plate. She was walked a team-high 18 times.
"Tiesha was so determined to become a better player," Rhodes said. "After her sophomore season, she started playing summer ball."
Macker's natural mother still lives in Florida, which is where she lived until she was in the seventh grade. The transition was rough because she knew she wouldn't be able to see her natural mother and brother as often and would have to make new friends.
"It was a hard process," Macker said. "It was hard moving up here because I wouldn't be able to see my family and friends. But once I got up here, I got used to it and it was great. I met new people."
Macker is proud that she attended Annapolis, which graduated a record number of students this month. She said the diversity the school offered along with the great teachers and coaches she worked with appealed to her the most.
"Annapolis is just the best school ever," she said.