Lynch’s Life Plan

The instant you meet Colin Lynch you are immediately struck by the fact that he seems mature beyond the years of the average high school senior.

The more you speak with him the more you notice his ense of his ambition. His focus. His drive to make an impact on the world or, at the very least, his corner of it.

Lynch, a senior who is in his fourth season with the Kenmore West Blue Devils cross country team, is doing more than running the paths of cross country trails. He’s been carefully planning his future while helping others along the way.

“My parents (Tim and Mary Lynch) have always taught me there are people that come from all walks of life that you meet throughout your life,” Colin Lynch said. “So I thought it was just as important to be as well-rounded as I can. Being well-rounded is important. You need to be able to communicate and interact with people from all walks of life.”

A member of the National Honor Society, Lynch ranks No.3 academically in his graduating class, plays tenor sax and serves as the treasurer for the Ken-West band, is Vice President of the Student Council and a member of the Community Club, which does a variety of charitable work in the Ken-Ton community.

“We’ve tried to help out in the community. Help out in the school,” he said. “Just try to better the community in anyway that I can.”

The Community Club focuses on events like an annual Christmas party that distributes toys to less fortunate youths in Ken-Ton, as well as the Ken-Ton Closet which helps collect clothes and other daily items for those in need.

Remembering his parents words about always learning how to communicate with people from all walks of life, Lynch said he really saw the value of his parents advice his freshman year of high school when he saw the diversity of the Kenmore West student body.

“I’d say probably about eighth grade/freshman year,” Lynch explained. “That’s really when I began to see it. Especially at Kenmore West. Once you get to such a large student body, how many different types of kids there are. How they’re all in different (activities). How important it is to be able to communicate with all of them.”

When asked his impression of Lynch, Ken-West cross country coach Marty Madore’s most difficult task is figuring out where to start when it omes to listing all of Colin’s positive qualities. “I know the impact that he has had here at Kenmore West. I can’t wait to see the impact that he will have on the rest of the world,” Madore said.

“That’s the kind of kid he is. And he’s been this mature, this goal oriented and this focused of a person since I’ve known him in middle school. It’s the whole package. He is the poster child for student-athlete. The highest of quality. The highest of work ethic. As I said, goal oriented and he will set goals even higher than we can set for him. The expectations, the bar is never high enough for him.”

Making his presence felt at Ken-West and in the Ken-Ton community in general, Colin Lynch is thankful that he has the ability to give back to the place he calls home. But Lynch feels he has an even greater calling and that calling is to serve his country. Lynch has applied to the Naval Academy.

“I’ve had a couple family members in the service,” Lynch said. “A couple of family members have worked in the Department of Justice. So my family has kind of that history of Government service and I’d like to continue that. I think that serving in the military is a great opportunity is a great way to serve our country and I think that attending the Naval Academy is the best way for me to do that to become a better person overall.”