June 17, 2021
Andrew George has never been a stranger to working hard. When asked what advice he had for future MPA students, he said, “Work hard. Education is an important tool in today’s society as well as the in future.” Academically, as well as athletically, George has always been one of the hardest workers. “MPA prepared me for college by conveying the importance of putting in the work, as well as giving me deep passion for the sport of running and the atmosphere a sports team provides.”
A high school track and field athlete, Nordic skier, and soccer player, George earned the coaches award in track and played for MPA’s 2015 section 4A runner up soccer team. He looks back with particular fondness to MPA winning the section semifinals game in a penalty shootout against higher seeded Hill Murray.
George was also a member of the National Honor Society, and appreciated the wealth of opportunities afforded to him at MPA. “MPA is a very, very welcoming and respectful environment. It’s really amazing how many different opportunities there are here. In a lot of schools you can excel at one, maybe two things, but our experiences are so much more varied,” George says. “All of our classes are discussion based. Our teachers want to hear what we have to say and insist we take a stance and defend it. I know that helps us excel today, and will help us continue to excel broadly in the future.”
George chose to compete collegiately in track and field and cross country at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. “I chose Grinnell because of its academic reputation. I loved how much the departments and programs work to develop a broad range of skills,” George says. “I also loved the location. Not many people say yes to spending four years in a cornfield, but the students at Grinnell love that part.”
Earning academic all-conference honors from the Midwest Conference in 2019 and 2020, George ran distance for the Pioneers, recording personal bests of 17:36 in the 5000m and 38:15 in the 10,000m. “I have had a great time at Grinnell! The team and my friends here are like my second family. Academically, I’ve also been exposed to a great liberal arts education,” George says.
George is graduating in the spring of 2021 with a degree in anthropology and has started a Masters of Public Health program at the University of Iowa.
