You know those people who seem to do it all and then on top of that, are genuinely great people who have serious passion? Well, Zoe Koplan is one of those people.
Zoe is a sophomore public health science major, UMD cheerleader, Terp Thon Greek Relations member, EMT-in-training and hopes to one day volunteer in medical clinics in developing countries.
Does Wonder Woman exist? I think maybe.
As I sat down with Zoe I had the chance to get to learn about her passions and involvements, and they are far from none.
Zoe is a student athlete and is on the gold squad, which cheers for UMD’s football team. Her and her teammates are currently preparing for the National Cheerleading Championship held in Florida.
“The best thing about being on a team here at Maryland is my teammates. It’s a unique kind of friendship because you endure practices and the pressures of competitions together, but you also get to celebrate victories and accomplishments,” Zoe said.
Zoe explained how cheer is a huge time commitment, not only due to the hours she spends at practices throughout the week, but also the training clinics she takes part in occasionally on weekends. However, despite it being mentally and physically taxing, Zoe expressed how she loves being able to represent the school… and the free Under Armor gear doesn’t hurt, either.
But on top of all the cheering she does, she still makes time to participate in other activities she loves.
Zoe recently started training with Montgomery County’s Fire and Rescue Team to be an EMT, a program that is all-volunteer. Zoe explained that she wakes up at 7 a.m. on Sundays to get to the station from College Park and then trains for a 12 hour shift.
This all ties in to what Zoe hopes to have a career in after college. School is very important to her and she always makes time for academic work, even if it means early morning studying.
“For me, when I am busy, I get the most stuff done. And since I have to balance my classes with practices and other things, I try to get work done ahead of time. Also, weirdly, I work well in the morning, so sometimes I will wake up at like, 5:30 a.m. and do work for a couple hours before classes,” she said.
Zoe hopes to become a physician’s assistant and her dream would be to travel to third world countries and other developing countries to help in medical clinics, specifically with children.
Zoe has always had a passion for helping others and friends describe her as “selfless and someone with admirable character.”
As I finished speaking with Zoe, I asked her what she loves to do in her very little free time and she responded… “sleep.”