Ana Kreidler-Siwinski (Nottingham, 2019) is a star athlete, scholar, outdoor adventurer, and activist for social justice. As captain of the Syracuse City varsity swim team, Ana was a fierce competitor in the 100 yard butterfly, NYSPHSAA Section III Class A finalist, and state qualifier. Ana also rowed for the city-wide varsity crew team, and they work during the summers as a canoe guide in the Quetico Park and Boundary Waters Canoe Area within Superior National Forest.
It’s no surprise that Ana feels most comfortable in and around the water, and chose to study marine sciences at Stony Brook University. Ana hopes to find a way to use their education to combat climate change and pollution, and is also drawn to wildlife rehabilitation and youth wilderness education. In high school, Ana spendt their spare time playing guitar, participating in the Nottingham chess club, juggling (figuratively and literally), and doing lots and lots of homework.
Above all, Ana feels their greatest accomplishment to date was being part of the student group who organized Syracuse’s March For Our Lives event in 2018. In conjunction with similar demonstrations across the country and in solidarity with the students who survived the school shooting in Parkland, Florida one month prior, several thousand Central New Yorkers marched about a mile from the Everson Museum of Art to the James M. Hanley Federal Building, where Ana and others spoke to the crowd:
“Guns don’t think for themselves, we do, and we have to take responsibility, but we don’t think faster than the time it takes to pull the trigger, and we don’t think faster than a bullet flies, because once that bullet is let loose, there’s no taking back the consequences. Let’s end these unnecessary deaths, and use our voices to end the weak laws that put guns into the hands of the next generation of mass shooters. These are our lives at stake, worth more than rich ignorance or corporate greed, so let’s put our thoughts to actions, for peace.”
Ana was proud that students from the city were able to work together with suburban students to tackle this issue and organize such a powerful event. “It was awesome to see the support,” they said. “Even when something terrible happens, it can bring people together.” Ana’s only regret was inadequate diversity along race and class lines among the organizers. Diversity is Ana’s favorite thing about Nottingham. “I like talking to students and seeing glimpses into their lives, culture, and history,” they said, adding that there’s always more work to do to fully integrate these groups and ensure everyone has a voice.
Ana also co-organized Nottingham’s National Walkout Day event in tandem with similar events across the country, as well as the Town Hall for Our Lives event at Nottingham in 2018.
What advice do you have for future Bulldogs? “It’s not always the smart kids who graduate high school or have a successful life. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. ‘In a gentle way, you can shake the world.’ -Mahatma Gandhi.”
Where does your motivation come from? “I think my motivation comes from small acts of kindness I see in everyday life. It reminds me that people are not necessarily inherently bad, and that I can work to do good, and make a difference.”
What have you overcome to get where you are today? “I don’t think I’ve overcome all my challenges so far in life, rather I’ve always been working hard to be better than the person I was yesterday. Each day I try to learn something new, because regression is as possible as progression.”
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