Eight years ago, Abram Alvarado laced up his skates for the first time. And when he stepped off the ice after a somewhat humbling open skate, he believed that was his last attempt at becoming a hockey player.
However, Alvarado didn’t quit. His determined nature ultimately led him to not only a tenured hockey career, but a lifetime worth of friendships, memories and lessons setting him up for future accomplishments.
Alvarado earned this year’s High School Hockey Scholarship from the Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation in recognition of his exemplary character and academic achievement. He is one of three students who reach high in all aspects of their lives to be recognized this spring by the CBJ Foundation.
And Alvarado certainly knows what it’s like to take it all on. From wearing an “A” on his hockey jersey to National Honor Society board meetings, or from chemistry tutoring to lacrosse practice, he manages all of this on top of achieving a spotless transcript and a dedicated Letterboxd account as an aspiring film buff.
“It's definitely been kind of a balancing act over my four years. There really were no years off,” Alvarado said. “That was not by chance. That was definitely my own decision to keep my course rigor high because honestly, I know myself, and I'm really at my best when I'm at my busiest. So, kind of just that self-awareness was really crucial in how I was juggling it all.”
So when the craziness of his schedule appears louder than normal, Alvarado likes to go back to his favorite spot: the ice rink.
“Being able to go to hockey practice, the total time spent at the rink, I would just walk in the doors and be able to detach,” Alvarado said. “And that was the beauty of the sport for me. It was just a reminder that no matter what's going on, hockey was an escape at the end of the day. It was supposed to be fun, and I could always just anchor myself in knowing that hockey was there.”
Hockey rapidly assumed an important role in Alvarado’s life. He worked his way up from his local house league to his first AA team, eventually pursuing high school hockey at New Albany, where he skated as a defenseman and served as an alternate captain. Now, Alvarado looks back on not the goals, wins or losses, but the off-ice moments with his teammates and best friends.
Seeing how much he values those memories, Alvarado wants to encourage the same opportunities for those coming after him. He volunteers much of his time with the Blue Jackets Hockey League, coaching the younger age groups as they create their first hockey memories.
“It was just nice to be able to be in a hockey environment, just be loose, be myself and still get the opportunity to give back and to shape the next generation,” Alvarado said.
Each season, a portion of the Blue Jackets Foundation's community investment is specifically earmarked for the High School Hockey Scholarship, which provides $10,000 for a graduating high school senior who wishes to further his/her education beyond high school. These students have excelled in their commitment to hockey, in their leadership, and in their academic and extracurricular activities at their respective schools. This scholarship is not based on performance as a hockey player but on character and overall achievements during high school.
Alvarado’s future plans will take him to Indiana University, where he will be studying in the Kelley School of Business and Hutton Honors College. If that isn’t enough, Alvarado was accepted in the highly selective ACE program, which boasts about a 4 percent acceptance rate and allows first-year students an immersive experience in the business school. Although his hockey career may take a pause, Alvarado is taking on a new series of commitments to balance.
After all these years, Alvarado won’t forget how important hockey has been in his journey to today, though. And the scholarship celebrates his ability to do both – aspiring for greatness on and off the ice.
“From the (Blue) Jackets, the overarching message is that they're giving back to the community,” Alvarado said. “They're empowering the next generation of leaders, of students, of scholars. It's exactly what I stand for because I'll always hold true that I'm a student before I'm an athlete.”
If you had told Alvarado that in eight years, he’d consider hockey a pillar in his life, he might not have believed you. But his commitment to the game flowered into a life lesson of hard work, leadership and devotion to his community.
