by Jenny Heath
Opinion Editor
One of the many unique aspects of sophomore Rachel Magnan is her nickname, which she acquired at the age of four. Because her oldest sister, Steph, did not like Magnan’s given name, she decided to call her Rusty because of her red hair. Since then, it has stuck, and Magnan said she likes it better because “Rachel just sounds too old and proper for [her] and [she likes] having a more unique name because there are so many Rachels.” Like many students here, Magnan was born at the Good Samaritan Hospital and has lived in the same house her whole life.
In addition to being the sophomore representative on School Site Council, Magnan runs Safe Rides with her three best friends, sophomores Olivia Meehan, Isabel Chadwick, and Carly Houk. They find the volunteers and keep the program going by driving teens home every Friday and Saturday from 10PM to 2AM. This year has been very hard because almost every weekend they do not have enough volunteers. Despite this, Magnan said, “It is an amazing program and I feel honored that it was left in my hands this year to try and keep it going.”
Sports are a large part of Magnan’s life in and out of school. She joined the lacrosse team last year when it was first created at the school, and plays midfield and defense. She was familiar with boys’ lacrosse because her older brother, David, has been playing it for years, but she knew little about girls’ lacrosse, which is very different. She said that after playing at the high school, she “fell in love with the sport.” She then decided to join a club team, and played for the Bay Area Wave during the summer and fall, during which she went to tournaments in Colorado, Maryland, Arizona, and very recently, Palm Springs, California. She said she is “looking forward to playing with the high school team and the Wave for the rest of high school,” and might want to play in college. Another of Magnan’s passions is horseback riding. She has been riding since she was eight, and loves horses. She does jumping with a horse named Handsome.
One of Magnan’s other favorite activities is traveling, and the list of places she has been to includes China, Turkey, England, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Italy. During the Thanksgiving break of her freshman year, she and her parents went to visit her sister, Liz, who was studying abroad in Greece, and then went to Egypt. “It was an absolutely amazing experience; a once in a lifetime opportunity,” she said. “It was unbelievable to see the pyramids, the Phoenix of Giza, and the tombs. I wish to eventually travel all over the world.”
Magnan also has many ordinary teenage hobbies. She loves music, TV, and movies, and “cannot possibly choose favorites.” TV shows that she watches include Bones, NCIS Los Angeles, Psych, and Glee. She is also a huge Sharks fan and has been going to games her entire life, and when she cannot go to them she watches them on TV.
Magnan described a perfect day as horseback riding, reading, listening to music, and playing lacrosse by day, and watching her favorite TV shows, going to a Sharks game, and hanging out with her best friends at Safe Rides by night. Needless to say, the nickname Rusty isn’t the only unique thing about Magnan.