Malasia Hardy

Malasia Hardy – Arizona
Nomination & Photography by Liebrock Photography
Issue 54 of Inspiring Teens Magazine
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Nomination: Malasia is a true trendsetter. She was the first female football player at Chandler High School during her Freshman and sophomore years, has participated in DECA her freshman year, and student council all four years. Malasia now serves as the Student Body President over approximately 4,000 students. She maintains a 3.6 GPA and will be continuing her education at Arizona State University next year to pursue a degree in Psychology. Though her accomplishments thus far are great, her best quality is that she is incredibly humble.
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Photography by Liebrock Photography

​What would you most like to be interviewed about?
I would like to be interviewed on my high school experience. I feel like there were so many different contributions to how I was able to grow throughout high school that it can’t be narrowed just into one. From playing football, juggling honors classes, maintaining a position in student council, and finally experiencing high school before, during, and after the COVID pandemic; it has shaped me to be the person I am today.

How did you start playing football and what inspired you to play high school football?
Prior to high school I had been playing flag football since I was around 6 years old and continued to play for the next 7 years. I just loved the sport, and I loved the energy that came with playing. When the high school counselors visited our classrooms in 8th grade, I asked her if she could find out if I would be allowed to play football at Chandler High and get into the “Boys Academy Football” lifting class. From then on, I let my love for the sport guide me.

What was it like being on the football team? What position did you play, how did you fit in with your teammates, and you were the first - but were you the only for those two years? What was it like being the only female in a male dominated sport?
I played as one of the backup safeties while I was on the team, and it was difficult. From the conditioning to sticking out like a sore thumb, not everyone liked the fact that I was on the field. There were definitely a few teammates that made that very clear at practices, but I received more love and support than anything. I found a family and gained so many brothers that helped me even after I stopped playing. To this day I prefer the title of a football player. Being a female shouldn’t have to be a description, it feels limited when people add female in the front of it. I chose to play right up until COVID, I valued the safety of my family more than my football journey and decided to end it. I stayed in the lifting class just in case COVID died down and still stay with my team, but officially stopped going into my senior year.

What did you learn about your self during that time?
I learned that you can’t please everyone, and you can’t change everyone’s minds. It took some time to realize this and at first it hurt me that people I looked up to were looking down on me because of something I couldn’t control, my gender. I used to be so concerned with what other people would think before realizing I’m doing this for me, if they have an issue then that’s something that’s out of my hands.

What is a favorite memory from being on this team?
As a girl it’s obvious I can’t participate in pregame and post-game hype in the boy’s locker room. So, I would just relax in the hallway because my locker room was too quiet. Some of the guys would stop to chat with me or just sit for a bit. But this memory took place after a big game. The boys got their locker room decorated to close the season, and all the snacks were also in there. Some of my teammates realized I couldn’t get anything and didn’t get anything decorated, so they started to bring me things to help me feel included. They even made sure everyone was dressed so I could go check out the decorations. It really meant a lot to me when they would realize that I didn’t get the same opportunities as them and they still include me.

Photography by Liebrock Photography

​Why did you choose Liebrock Photography as your senior photographer & how did you find her? What was your experience like both before and during your photoshoot? What did you love most about it?
I chose Mrs. Liebrock because she was present as the photographer throughout my football journey. She had even taken some pictures of me while I was playing that I really loved. I wanted to stick with someone from the community and someone I knew I’d be comfortable with. I’m not someone who likes being in front of the camera, but she made it so comfortable for me which really helped. I like how she incorporated natural poses and incorporated pictures that capture who I am.

What is DECA and what do you love about being a part of this organization?
DECA stands for Distributive Education Clubs of America, it’s a club that goes hand in hand with the Marketing 1 class I took my freshman year. I learned so much about promotion and financing that I carried with me in student council for the proceeding years. I loved the creative freedom with the products and events that were planned, and it was all applicable to real life.

What have you accomplished in DECA?
While in DECA I mainly helped with promotion of events and slight participation in events like the lip sync battle. I was still not experienced enough to have a major hand it and didn’t have enough room in my 7 class schedule to continue it throughout high school.

Tell us more about your time in student council.
Though my nomination mentions my position in student council, I don’t think it’s able to truly cover the contributions over the years. I’ve volunteered a lot of my time into student council for the sake of my peers. I’ve helped plan school events from homecoming week to on campus activities like movie nights. But my favorites have been the volunteer opportunities to visit elementary school and spend time with them post pandemic.

After serving student council all four years, and now as the Student Body President, what do you find is the hardest part about having a leadership role in this magnitude? What is the easiest?
The hardest part of having this leadership role is remembering that I can’t involve everyone. Not everyone enjoys high school the way I do, not everyone likes to be as involved either. I’ve learned the best thing to do is open myself up to feedback and if it’s not something I can do, I reach out to another club who I think can help. The easiest part would be putting myself out there. After 4 years of embarrassing myself in front of hundreds and hundreds of peers, I’ve learned that the more embarrassing I get it, helps other people feel better about participating.

What have you found is your greatest leadership strength?
My greatest leadership strength is not just expecting from other people, but placing myself with them. You can’t be a leader if you aren’t willing to do what you expect others to and you need to help them as well. If you just tell people to do things and don’t do anything, you’re just a boss, not a leader. Leaders guide the way and make their own path, and I believe that’s what I’ve been doing.

Photography by Liebrock Photography

​What do you hope your classmates will remember about you?
I hope my classmates remember that I did my best to include them. Throughout high school and dealing with COVID, I constantly worry that I’m not doing enough to make their high school experience memorable in a positive way. I hope they remember how I always ask for their feedback and input, and I really hope they remember that I listened to them.

What legacy or inspiration do you hope to leave behind for the next generation of students?
I hope to inspire them to get involved in something. We have over 60 clubs on campus, and I had the opportunity to find one that helps me thrive and enjoy high school to fullest. I even found a sports team that gave me people I hope to have in my life forever. I want the next generation to know, there’s always someone or something out there for you; but you have to go find it, it’s not going to magically appear.

What honors classes have been your favorite and why?
My favorite honors classes have been AP Human Geography and IB Psychology. AP Human Geography taught me a lot about culture, mixing of cultures, and how human movement influences the world. It’s something that is very applicable to me being a person of mixed race and helped me understand a lot about our world. As for IB Psychology, it’s already a topic that interests me and now I feel like I’m learning about behaviors that apply to those around me. The concept of how the brain works is just fascinating. We get to open up and discuss about how our lives are affected or how we can apply this to real life. It’s a safe space and an amazing class to see from other people’s perspectives.

Photography by Liebrock Photography

What will you miss most about high school?
I will miss the people the most. I can walk through school and talk to so many people from all walks of life on a daily basis. Some of these people only feel comfortable acknowledging me with a smile or a nod, but it’s because they see so much of me on campus. It’s not the same outside of school, where people are more likely to pretend you don’t exist. I’ll miss the feeling of being acknowledged as a human, but I’ll take the time to reestablish myself soon enough outside of high school.

What is a favorite memory from your time there?
My favorite memory throughout high school would have to be homecoming week as a whole. I had the opportunity to run with one of my closest friends, whom I’ve known since elementary school. From us finding old pictures for our flyers, to him helping me relax during the homecoming assembly, and finally us winning homecoming king and queen. I was able to experience something not everyone gets to, and I was able to do it with someone who means a lot to me.

If you were to present a topic to a group of your peers, what would it be?
There are many things I am passionate about, but the big ones are mental health and societal issues. I feel that growing up is a difficult task on its own but throwing in a media based society where kids are exposed to so many ideas at once and have so many expectations set on them due to their race or gender is even harder. I constantly preach that communication is nothing without comprehension. A person doesn’t have to face the same problems to show empathy and to validate the struggles of others.

Look for Malasia in issue 54 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!

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click here for more information on issue 54

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