With a passion for guitar and tennis, senior Aidan McBride began his journey at La Salle on Sept. 8, 2020.
Now McBride is nearing the end of his high school career as graduation inches closer.
Coming from West Hills Christian School, McBride came to La Salle because it’s “small but not too small,” he said. He has enjoyed the strong community, and cites it as a reason for his success throughout high school.
During his sophomore year, his passion for tennis was shown, as he won state for the first time and led his team to a second-place finish. This year he decided he wanted to do it again.
“I won state. I couldn’t have done it without Ryder,” McBride said about fellow tennis player and senior Ryder McCoy-Hansen.
He not only won an individual state title, but also helped his team achieve their first state title since entering the 5A division.
During his four years of playing he has looked up to his coach, Mike Stone, for always being there for him and helping lead their team to a state title. He gives credit to his teammates and coaches for getting him to where he is today.
When he’s not playing tennis, he likes to play guitar, whether it is with his friends or in the Advanced Guitar class. “It really relaxes me,” McBride said. He also participates in cross country, which was forced upon him at the beginning but turned into something he came to love later on.
McBride said he looks up to his dad when it comes to running cross country, as his dad has always been a runner himself and is really fast. McBride also appreciates that his dad pushes him to be better. Not only does he admire his dad in regards to cross country, but he sees him as a role model throughout his life no matter what he is doing because “he’s a very hard worker,” McBride said.
Besides his dad, McBride said he also looks up to God, because “he created everything and I would not be where I am right now if it was not for him.”
He also likes to hangout with friends. They do anything from playing frisbee or basketball to swimming in the Willamette River or cliff jumping at the Clackamas River.
Sometime in the future he hopes to venture out of the United States and go surfing in Mexico.
While there are many positives for McBride at La Salle, he says “it is a challenging school,” and that the rigorous workload it provides is going to inevitably produce some difficulties. One of those challenges he encounters is being in his Calculus class, which is harder as someone who isn’t a math person.
Although his favorite class is Advanced Guitar, his favorite teacher is Science Teacher Mr. Eric Roth because he said he’s “chill” and a good person.
Some of McBride’s favorite memories from attending La Salle are attending Journey and going to state for tennis three times, winning it twice.
Overall, his experience at La Salle has been positive. “I love it,” he said. “It’s been a great four years.” He appreciates the friends he has made at La Salle and is all of the teachers that cared about how he did and pushed him to be a great student and person.
As college comes near, he is excited to pursue his education at Baylor University, where he will major in business. McBride chose Baylor because he liked the Waco area and the programs that the school provides.
