From coaching elementary kid’s basketball, to studying for his classes, Senior Adane Siegrest quickly bounces from one place to another. Siegrest conquers his classes with a schedule consisting of AP Environmental Science and AP Calculus AB.
He has been a dedicated athlete of the varsity Men’s Basketball team for all four years and before entering high school, he had played for three years in middle school, previously known as Flamson. When he managed to secure one of three captain spots this 2024-2025 season in his senior year, it put him in a leadership role that helped him evolve into the person he is today. Basketball has taught Siegrest life lessons he plans to take along with him in his future at University of California, Los Angeles: how to be punctual, manage his free time accordingly, and how to successfully work with a team, all skill that will benefit him in his next adventure.
“I think time management is really important, like on the bus rides— that is plenty of time that shouldn’t be wasted,” Siegrest said.
Even after dreaming of going to the University of Miami since his junior year, sadly, Siegrest got rejected by UMiami in March. However, this did not shake his determination and he was accepted to other notable universities such as UCLA, San Diego State, Santa Clara University, San Jose State, and Cal Poly SLO. Siegrest was torn between Cal Poly and UCLA, but chose UCLA in Apr., one of the top 10 public universities with a nine percent acceptance rate.
“I think Los Angeles is a great city, it has a lot of opportunities, and it’s a place I’ve never lived before,” Siegrest explained. Siegrest has formed a love for planes since his young childhood when he boarded a plane for the first time from Ethiopia to the United States after he and his sister, Mekdes Siegrest, were adopted when he was one and a half years old.
“I’ve always been interested in airplanes. When I was adopted, my first memory was being on a Triple Seven, British Airways, back to America,” Siegrest said.
While growing up with her brother, M. Siegrest has admired her brother and his hard-working qualities.
“I’ve been able to witness how ambitious Adane is when it comes to something important to him or a goal that he has made for himself. Seeing his ambition pushes me to do the same,” M. Siegrest said. At UCLA, Siegrist will be majoring in economics with the long-term goal of living in Miami, Florida, and working in airline administration, where he expects to regulate air traffic control, set standards for airports, and protect assets during launch or return of commercial space vehicles.
