Student Spotlight | Will Anderson ’20
November 9, 2018
“As an athlete, it’s, kind of surreal,” says Will Anderson ’20 on receiving the Phil Womble Ethics in Sports Award. “You know, you practice every day, play as hard as you can. And, you know, you’re not looking for what award you can win. But when they choose to recognize something that is ingrained in what we do, its very cool.” Will says athletes like last-year’s seniors Ben Jessup and Will Bowlin were role models for him and for younger students who demonstrated the sports culture at Cate.
The three-sport athlete (football, soccer, lacrosse (with a stint on baseball)) came to Cate from Newport Beach, CA as a boarder, but a family move to Santa Barbara allowed him to transition to day student life. “It’s really nice,” says Will. “I don’t personally feel like I’m out of the loop.” He says he appreciates the balance of school to being able to go home everyday, “but still stay as late as I want to.”
Will says that a Cate connection from middle school ended up _ him with his current advisor John Swain. About his relationship with Mr. Swain, Will says, “It’s like having a large teddy bear at all times.” “An emotionally-unavailable teddy bear?” “Yes, exactly,” is his reply. “But nonetheless, still comforting.” Mr. Swain says of his advisee, “He’s a genuine Renaissance man. An award-winning athlete, a scholar, and an accomplished and talented musician, there’s very little that Will doesn’t do extremely well.”
One thing Will does extremely well is write, sing, perform, and lead the Cate Rock Band. Cate Director of Instrumental Music John Knecht says, “Will is a humble and mature leader in the music program, willing to play any role that makes the whole band sound better. At any given moment, he’ll hop on the drums, bass, guitar or piano. He just released an album online called “Indecisions on Paper” which is a beautiful, professional collection of his original work.” Will says he tries not to force the writing process, “but it’s usually not hard to find inspiration,” as he gestures to the eucalyptus trees on the Day Walkway.
Favorite dining hall recipe: “I’m reasonably proud of my BLT.”
What’s in his bag: 1. Computer 2. Decomposition Book 3. Headphones 4. A Katoh 5. A handy ballpoint ben