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Sagan Everett: Twirler, Honor Student

May 23, 2008

If baton twirling had its own honor society, Sagan Everett likely would be a member.

The Colorado City sophomore kinesiology major already has both baton twirling and honors activities at Angelo State University to her credit. 

Everett took a recent weekend off from her studies at ASU to win two divisions of the National Baton Twirling Association’s regional competition in Denton. She won the solo and two-baton events in the intermediate division, which require two-minute routines before a panel of judges. She was one of 100 twirlers in the competition.

Everett has been twirling batons since her aunt, Kakai Wulfjen, who was the twirling teacher in Colorado City, got her started in third grade. Wulfjen moved away from Colorado City before Everett finished high school, but ASU alumna and former ASU Ram Band featured twirler Vanessa Moffett stepped in to fill Wulfjen’s shoes. 

Everett continued twirling throughout high school and has been a featured twirler with the ASU band for the past two years.

Everett practices about five hours a week during contest season, but most of her time is consumed by kinesiology studies and honors work. 

She will enter the Physical Therapy Priority Acceptance Program at ASU where she will collaborate with faculty and begin doing research as she finishes her kinesiology degree.

Everett said she has her eye on becoming a practicing physical therapist in a hospital.  Everett said got her ambition for physical therapy from her parents, Bill and Toni Everett of Colorado City.

“My parents are in health care,” she said. “My mom is a registered nurse and dad is a physician’s assistant. Mom encouraged me and physical therapy is what I want to do.”

Besides the Physical Therapy Priority Acceptance Program, Everett has been inducted into Alpha Chi, the honor society for students in all disciplines, and she worked in the ASU Writing Center last year. 

The Writing Center is staffed by specially selected and trained student tutors who offer one-on-one writing and reading conferences with their peers.

Everett also has been named an emissary for the ASU Honors Program.

“An emissary is kind of a face for the Honors Program,” Everett said. “We interact with faculty and the community. If they have questions, we are representatives of the program.”

Before she returns to ASU this fall for her junior year, Everett will spend a month in Costa Rica with the International Education program. She will take four hours of Spanish every day and courses in ecotourism and biodiversity during the program, but it won’t be all work.

“We will be going on different excursions to beaches, rainforests and all kinds of fun stuff,” Everett said.

For the time she spends in Costa Rica, she will get 12 hours of credit at ASU.