Liz Livesay
SETTING GOALS FOR SUCCESS
story by MICAH PEPPERS photos by TANYA LEVI and courtesy of the LIVESAY FAMILY
At nine years old, Liz Livesay and her family moved to Beaufort, the place they would call home. Liz’s dad, Nathan, took a job as the basketball coach at Beaufort High School, having the Livesay family relocate from Sumter, SC. So, Liz, her brothers, Tyler and Troy, and her mom, Leandra, packed their bags and headed to the Lowcountry. While living in Beaufort, Leandra took a job at Cross Community Church and now serves as the Executive Director. “I really didn’t want to move to Beaufort,” Liz says, “But once I got here and saw how beautiful it was, I loved it.”
Liz, in part, is the all-American teenage girl. She loves being with friends, attending school at Beaufort High School, and playing sports, but Liz has a spark about her that sets her apart from other students. A drive that can’t be taught but is instilled in a person from a very early age. It is this driven focus that has led her to be a standout, both inside and outside the classroom.
As a freshman, Liz joined the school’s lacrosse team, where she remained all four years of school, even joining the club lacrosse team in Charleston for her junior and senior years. In addition, during her upperclassmen years, she made the school’s tennis team. “What I enjoy most about playing sports is the connection with my teammates and even meeting opposing players. It’s nice to be a part of something where everyone shares the same goal and can bond as a team on bus rides to and from games. Additionally, it’s been rewarding to be able to watch my skills improve over the past four years,” explains Liz.
Outside of sports, Liz utilizes her time with her extracurricular activities, including several clubs. In her senior year, she became president of Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA). Liz talks about why it was important to her to take on this leadership role. “I wanted to be able to make a difference in the club and to be able to encourage more service projects. It also allowed me to practice my leadership skills on this level. HOSA is an international organization. The chapters compete against each other in different medical areas at the state level, such as Behavioral Health, Nutrition, Medical Reading and Spelling, Medical Law and Ethics, Dental Terminology, Sports Medicine, and more. If they place, they then have the chance to go to the national level. I competed in the Medical Math section and placed 3rd. We were then able to go onto the International Conference.” Liz explains in more detail what the International Conference entails. “The conference holds several educational symposiums available for any attendee to participate in, and students from all over the world are present. I met people from Alaska and even as far away as China. It was amazing and such a cool experience to connect with people from all over the globe who are passionate about medicine and competitive in these events.” The club doesn’t just focus on competitions, though. Liz and the other HOSA club members are genuinely trying to make a difference in the community. “We have lots of local service projects,” she explains. “We run blood drives at the school. We hold a breast cancer awareness fundraiser. We put on a food drive, and we have raffles. We recently raffled off a hydro flask to promote hydration.”
Although she spends much of her time in school on academics and extracurriculars, she doesn’t stop there. Liz is active in her local church. “My family has always been very involved in our church, so that’s important to me as well. On Wednesday nights, the youth meet, and the student ministry team will sometimes meet outside of the church. We just have a strong community. We are also able to mentor the younger youth students, and we recently attended a leadership retreat camp in North Carolina. We were able to come together, worship, and learn how to be leaders in today’s world.”
Liz will graduate in June with a 5.183 GPA, be 10th in her class, and have multiple honors. So, what does a successful high school senior do after graduation? “I want to eventually attend a medical school in South Carolina and become a pediatrician. I want to stay in the Lowcountry, maybe Charleston.” When asked what motivates her down this path, she answers, “Everyone in my life, including my parents, has really encouraged me to go for the things I want. I’ve had teachers who have encouraged me to get involved in various areas at school. I had a teacher, Dr. Alexandrina Bota, who I had for AP Chemistry, who really sparked my interest in science, and that led me to want to become a doctor.”
After graduation, Liz will attend Clemson Honors College and major in chemistry. This is her first step in fulfilling her dreams of becoming a pediatrician. “I have loved working with kids since I was 13, and I currently babysit and help with children during church as well as teaching Sunday School classes. I just love to be with and help children.”
In the meantime, you will find Liz enjoying some of her favorite pastimes. “I just want to be on the water. It doesn’t matter if it’s the beach, pool, or river. When it’s beautiful out, that’s where I want to be. I also love to read romantic comedies and even some mysteries. I enjoy putting together puzzles and spending time with my family and friends. I’m just grateful I get to live here. I love seeing people I know throughout town, whether it’s from school or church, especially if I haven’t seen them in a while. I also love the traditions Beaufort offers, like the Water Festival, well, really all the festivals. I just love being in small-town Beaufort.”
