Liam Chandler wakes up every day in his basement bedroom at 6:30 a.m. He walks to the bathroom, brushes his teeth and takes a shower, but he doesn’t eat breakfast because it makes him nauseous.
In the evening, he works at HyVee in the Chinese takeout department cooking orange chicken and crab rangoon. His name tag says Liam Chandler and the word “Hy-Chi”. Sometimes he doesn’t get home until 9 p.m.
In between those hours, Chandler has to manage his time and juggle the demands of being a student, athlete and a grocery store employee. And on top of that, right before his junior year he transferred to Southeast from Lincoln Pius.
“It’s hard trying to keep up with everything,” Chandler said, “With going to school and doing your homework and studying the sport that you play, and then still being able to perform outside the school and in school.”
Chandler has played football for years, but recently regained the love for the sport after transferring to Southeast. Transferring was a hard choice for Chandler to make because forming new relationships was harder than staying with everything he already had known.
But he said that there are “a lot less things to worry about” at Southeast and appreciates his supportive coaches and teammates. He praised his position coach, Justin Freitag, for being open to questions and making him want to play his best. He said his decision to transfer was positive because the new environment at Southeast makes it easier to perform better.
Being a transfer, Chandler said it can sometimes be hard to manage his time. He said it’s tough to keep up with everything, and how he has to have priorities, even though going to practice, work or doing homework might not be his first choice. Chandler has to give up free time in order to practice his sport and work at HyVee. He said that life does get easier after the sports season is over because he doesn’t have to worry about messing up. Chandler said he “prioritizes school and sports over anything because it contributes to his future.”
Chandler spends around 13 restless hours learning, practicing, or working every day but says it all pays off.
“It was worth transferring here. I love my teachers, classes, and my coaches. My coaches especially, they’re very motivating and help me get through the day.”
