Stories are often told about star athletes or class presidents, but rarely recognized as individuals who exceed expectations in athletics and academics as well as extracurricular activities. Current junior, William Cutchin is an exceptionally ambitious student here at Fossil Ridge High School, and has not only an incredible drive, but a compatible personality too.

Cutchin is very passionate about everything that he does, to put it simply. “I am infatuated with business, specifically finance, which I get from my father. My father has been an entrepreneur for the entirety of his life and so has my mother, so I feel like I get my entrepreneurial zeal from them for sure.” With that said, it’s not surprising that Cutchin is involved in a handful of clubs and organizations here at Fossil that are business-related. Some of those clubs include FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America), DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America), National Technical Honor Society, National Business Honor Society, and in addition Cutchin is a member of three other honor societies, the Fossil Ridge varsity hockey team, STEM Academy, and Key Club. During the summer prior to beginning his junior year at Fossil, he was an assistant at the Orthopedic Bioengineering Research Lab at Colorado State University, and is currently seeking employment at a bank for the summer.

As the “go-getter” he is, he likes to keep himself very busy. Cutchin will be attending the FBLA National Leadership Conference this summer after placing fourth in in his event at the FBLA State Leadership Conference this spring. He is currently serving as the Secretary of the Fossil Ridge FBLA Chapter, and was selected to serve as the President during the 2018-19 school year. Outside of school he plays hockey, trades financial assets, interns at a lab, and is a volunteer hockey coach for kids in the Fort Collins area. “Balancing school and sports, along with other outside activities is a really difficult task, but one that I think is pretty essential to develop at a young age. I used to be even more involved in sports and I managed my time pretty ineffectively. You have most likely heard the saying, work smarter not harder, but when you have limited time and you are dead beat tired, you have to work hard and work efficiently. I would recommend 2 cups of black coffee, a 15 minute nap, and Led Zeppelin to get that last essay or hour of studying in.”

Of course, having support is a critical aspect to one’s success in life, and Cutchin’s support system has been very important to him during his time in high school “My support system is all I could ever ask for. I could come home with outrageous ideas, something that had been on my mind, or even something that was bothering me at school and my parents, friends, and coaches were there no matter what.” Even though his experience at Fossil has been somewhat chaotic, he wouldn’t want to change any part of it. “My favorite part of being a student here is what being a Sabercat really means. Being a Sabercat, to me, means that you are not afraid to be “polite” or one of the “smart kids” in the class, but it means you embrace those qualities, within yourself and others. Some of the most invaluable lessons in life are to accept, learn, and respect your community, because you are your community and your community is yourself.” Through the numerous clubs and extra things he is involved in, he feels like the opportunities that Fossil has given him have taught him so much and is extremely grateful for them.

Cutchin is definitely ‘college obsessed’, due to the fact that the thinks and talks about college every single day with many of his friends and teachers. His future plans are extensive as he likes to ‘plan everything out in the long term and act spontaneously in the short term.”  He will be applying to over fifteen colleges for a double major in Finance and Economic, and a minor in Russian. His top choices for college are Indiana University, the University of Texas – Austin, the University of North Carolina, and Arizona State University. After he completes graduate school he hopes to get his MBA with a focus in finance at the University of Pennsylvania or Harvard University. “Hopefully if I can pull this off I can come back to my community and make a difference, like expanding schools for the underprivileged, donating to charity, and funding public spaces. Those are all dreams, but I plan on working to achieve them.”

If you see Will in the hallways don’t be scared to say hello, and wish him luck in his future endeavors! Follow @fossilnews for more updates on all things Fossil Ridge!