Cynthia Wang

When did you start fencing? Where? And why?

I first started fencing at AFA after my mom saw a fencing bout at the 2016 Olympics on tv; she asked me if I wanted to try it out, so I said “sure”—and here we are.

What high school did you attend? Did you participate in any clubs or other sports? Are you on the honor roll?

I attend Enloe High School in Raleigh and am part of the Envirothon team, the Academy of Creative Design, and the board of Enloe Food Ark. I am also a member of the Asian Student Association, and I maintained straight A’s throughout my high school career.

What are your plans for after graduation? College plans? Career goals?

After graduation, I will spend the summer working and preparing for the national Envirothon competition, which will be held in late July. I plan on attending UNC Chapel Hill as part of the honors program to study psychology; I am also considering pursuing a double major with environmental science and a minor in advertising.

If you plan to attend college, will you fence there? Does your college have a fencing program?

Carolina has a DivI team that is part of the ACC; however, they are short on club fencing, so I may try to join a club that is situated in the nearby area.

Do you have any fencing-related advice for our younger fencers? Anything they should know?

Don’t ignore your injuries because you’ll end up feeling like an old man before you’re even an adult. Also, have fun!

Jackie Higgins

When did you start fencing? Where? And why?

I started fencing around 2014 at a smaller fencing club near my house. Honestly, I knew basically nothing about fencing when I first started and signed up because participating in a sport that involved “swords” was very appealing to 10-year-old me.  Obviously, fencing is more than just stabbing your opponent monotonously, but that bare minimum was sufficient to get me on board. I joined AFA last year after our move from Chicago to NC. 

What high school did you attend? Did you participate in any clubs or other sports? Are you on the honor roll?

For high school, I attended an online school named Kolbe Academy, located in Napa CA, where I was an honors student. Because it was online, there was a limited number of clubs to join. However, they did have a coding/programming club in which I was involved for my last two years. I also participated in a theatre troupe in which many of my friends participated. Personally, I’m not one for soliloquy, so I worked on the stage crew. Throughout high school, I was active in other sports besides fencing such as hockey, soccer, and tennis.

What are your plans for after graduation? College plans? Career goals?

This Fall, I will be attending Penn State University (University Park campus) and majoring in Computer Science, with a focus on Cyber Security, which is my desired career.  

If you plan to attend college, will you fence there? Does your college have a fencing program?

I definitely intend to fence in college, and from what I’ve heard, PSU has a very active fencing club.

Do you have any fencing-related advice for our younger fencers? Anything they should know?

When I first started fencing at AFA, I had to switch from a righty to a lefty due to a bad hand injury. Looking back, it was honestly a blessing in disguise because I would never have given so much thought to the seemingly simple parts of the sport. My advice would be that it is a great idea to sometimes switch stances from righty to lefty or vice versa. At a certain level, it can be easy to just depend on muscle memory for actions. Switching it all around is a good insight into the structure of the en-garde stance and control as a whole.  It can be easy to forget why we make certain choices in fencing because a lot of times they are just second thought and reintroducing that unsteadiness after a few years of fencing is a really good practice in the basics. 

Jacob Paszkowiak

When did you start fencing? Where? And why?

I started fencing in early 2019 at Apex Fencing Academy, mainly because I moved to North Carolina late into the school year so soccer tryouts were already over and I wanted to try a new sport and I started really enjoying it and stuck with it ever since.

What high school did you attend? Did you participate in any clubs or other sports? Are you on the honor roll?

I attended Apex High School, I played soccer all my life and only for one season in high school before covid hit.

What are your plans for after graduation? College plans? Career goals?

I am hoping to attend Wroclaw medical university or another university in Poland and I plan on going into the medical field although I’m not sure exactly what I want to do specifically.

If you plan to attend college, will you fence there? Does your college have a fencing program?

None of my university choices have fencing programs but I am looking around for clubs nearby such as Rebel Fencing in Wroclaw and I plan to continue fencing after High school.

Do you have any fencing-related advice for our younger fencers? Anything they should know?

My best advice for younger fencers would be to not give up and don’t be afraid to try new things and new techniques.