From cross-country meets to artistic pursuits, Lindsay Liriano, a junior at Foundation Christian Academy, is always aiming to set personal records. The first semester of the 2024-25 school year has been no exception.
On November 16, 2024, Liriano competed at the 2024 Cross Country State Championships in Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee. Not only was Liriano the only student from her school to compete in this year’s meet but she is also the first student in her school’s history to race at the state level.
“State[s] was an amazing experience for me, and it was such a big event. I enjoyed being there. I enjoyed being around fast runners who would also compete to make it there,” said Liriano. “So, it felt like a giant metal for me. For me, it was a trophy in itself.”
Liriano’s interest in running was first sparked by her enrollment in the Girls on the Run program at age 9. Upon entering middle school, Liriano joined the cross-country team and increased her training intensity. Liriano has been working toward the goal of making it to the state championships for roughly five years, training every afternoon, in the mornings and on weekends during this school year.
“The start of this year, I was aiming for it — the moment I started my first 5K,” said Liriano.
But Liriano’s momentum did not stop there. While training for the state championship, Liriano stumbled upon an Instagram post by the Imagine Museum of Contemporary Glass Art, encouraging students to submit pieces to its Student ‘Call to Artists’ exhibition under the theme ‘Imagination.’ With the help of her art teacher, Terry Reeves, Liriano borrowed class time to finish her submission before the museum’s deadline. On October 23, 2024, Liriano discovered her artwork had been accepted.
Titled Child’s Play, her piece is a mixed media artwork, incorporating graphite to highlight children in a black-and-white background. She also utilizes glass, on which her child subjects are actively painting with actual paint.
Liriano’s Child’s Play was unveiled at the Imagine Museum’s official ceremony and exhibited alongside other student submissions in 2024 from November 9 through December 10. She also received a certificate and a one-year membership card to the museum.
Going forward, Liriano aims to set even higher goals, gearing up for the track and field season next semester and the Gasparilla Distance Classic 15K in February. She also intends to carve out more time for art. Nonetheless, Liriano maintained that her success this year could not have been possible without help from her coaches, teachers, parents and siblings.
“I am very thankful to my art teacher, Mr. Reeves; my current private coach, Jon Noland, who has been a huge positive inspiration; and my previous coaches, Larsen and Mike,” said Liriano. “I am also thankful to my family, my school, Foundation Christian Academy, my friends and teachers for all the support they have given me.”
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