NOTE: The Senior Close-Up is an occasional feature on the Bard Athletics web site, with the focus being the life of a student-athlete at Bard. Here, every student must complete a Senior Project to graduate. The Senior Project is an original, individual, focused project growing out of the student's cumulative academic experiences. Preparation begins in the junior year, and our course each semester in the senior year is devoted entirely to the Senior Project. The student submits the completed project to a committee of three professors and participates with them in a Senior Project Review.
By Justin Lovell
Assistant Sports Information Director
Leading is difficult, especially during tough times. It is in those moments when leaders can truly be identified.
It’s not for everyone. But for Avalon Qian, leadership comes naturally.
Whether it’s on the soccer pitch, in the classroom, or in the middle of the wilderness during one of her outdoor adventures, Qian is a true leader.
She leads with confidence and humility. When asked what being voted captain of the women’s soccer team meant to her, Qian responded, "I’m not going to be able to be a perfect captain, but I hope to be someone that people can trust and be someone that is working for them."
The passion and dedication she feels for soccer can't be overstated. She truly loves the game. Back in high school, when her guidance counselor first told her about Bard College, Qian became intrigued.
The San Francisco native wanted to continue to play soccer for as long as she could following high school and Bard gave her the best opportunity.
"I always knew that wherever I was going to go to college, I was going to try to play soccer," Qian said.
She has excelled.
Qian has started every game since she arrived, a streak which stands at 65 games and counting. She has led Bard in scoring for three straight years, and she’s already surpassed her previous best with eight goals and 19 points through 11 games this fall.
Entering her senior year, Qian knew she could do better and set the bar higher for herself.
"I want this year to be my best year,” she said. “I want to have the most points, I want to have more goals than my past years."
If Qian remains the leader in both categories, she will become the first player in the history of the women's soccer program to lead the team in goals and points for four years in a row. She admitted in the preseason that achieving that distinction mattered to her.
"I'd like to say I'm not a stat person, but I am, I can't help it," Qian said. "I want to score, so I pay attention to it, but I don't think it's a true indication of a really strong player."
Her decision to attend Bard went beyond Athletics.
"I did think it was cool that Bard had an emphasis on the Arts but wasn't an art school," she said. "The academics seemed really strong and solid and challenging."
She's made the most of the artistic and creative opportunities Bard has offered, joining the Latin Dance Club, and participating in plays produced by both the college and students.
She has flourished in the classroom. An Anthropology major with a 3.87 GPA, she'll be an Academic All-American nominee this fall. Her Senior Project incorporates another one of her passions - the outdoors.
Since age 12, Qian has been involved with a nonprofit organization called
GirlVentures, which combines outdoor adventures with social/emotional learning for adolescent women.
Her Senior Project is an ethnographic study about her time at GirlVentures and using it to figure out a way to empower more individuals in outdoor education in the future. It is her goal to make this type of education more accessible to all groups, no matter their gender, financial means or geographic location.
Qian has led multiple trips since becoming a GirlVentures instructor back in 2015. These trips have included backpacking, kayaking and rock climbing as she tries to help youth experience all the great things she has over the years.
With her GirlVentures experience and knowledge, Qian eventually took the next step and joined another organization called
National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). NOLS is a nonprofit that seeks to help individuals to step forward boldly as leaders. Qian’s crowning achievement with NOLS was a month-long backpacking trip through the Rocky Mountains.
"That’s when I realized how happy I was when I was outside," Qian said. "I feel like I’m my best self when I’m outside."
Following graduation in May, Avalon hopes her experience with GirlVentures lands her a full scholarship and her dream job with NOLS as an instructor and wilderness Emergency Medical Technician. She is also considering living in China, which is part of her heritage, to learn the language and spend more time with that part of her family.
Leading the soccer team, mentoring young women, and blazing new trails is just part of who she is.
So no, leadership isn't for everyone. But Avalon Qian has no problem with it.
