Rachel Showman
HAMILTON — With a name like that, Rachel Showman was almost destined to become a performer.
The 18-year-old Hamilton High Senior is a three-year member of Rhapsody in Blue show choir and the school’s drama department, where she landed the lead role of Mabel in last year’s production of the “Pirates of Penzance.”
But as talented as she is at singing, dancing and acting, those activities only scratch the surface of what Showman is all about.
She’s also a National Honor Society Board officer with a 3.5 grade-point average, an Honors Academy scholar, a Student Council officer, a J. Kyle Braid Leadership Conference affiliate and a Senior Senate associate.
And as impressive as that list is, it only comprises about half of what she was able to put on a college resume that got her accepted to five of the six universities she applied to, with notification still pending from Vanderbilt University.
“There’s just something in me that makes me a perfectionist,” says Showman, who will attend Miami University in the fall, double-majoring in political science and international studies while minoring in communications.
“Some people think it’s cool,” Showman adds. “Others are like, ‘you’re a freak.’”
She also logs countless hours of community service, well beyond what’s required by many of her clubs and organizations, and works a part-time job at Caribou Coffee in West Chester Twp.
“I make a lot of lists,” Showman says when asked how she keeps track of everything. “I have my planner, and I’m always writing in it. The main thing is I just focus on one thing at a time.”
Her focus, ambition, personality and talent have turned Showman into a role model for more than just he fellow students.
“My wife and I have three daughters at home, and Rachel is one of those students who makes me hope that our girls will turn out like her,” says HHS social studies teacher Danny Pate.
“Rachel is a great ambassador for Hamilton High, and I look forward to seeing what the future brings to her.”
A master of time management
When several students who had signed up for the Rotary 4-Way Speech Contest dropped out at the last minute, Hamilton High School officials turned to Showman.
“She was hesitant, but she has such a strong commitment to herself, to her school and to the adults she works around, that she agreed to do it,” HHS assistant principal Maribeth Robinson said. “Rachel is exactly what every educator would love to see in a student.”
The daughter of Scott Showman of Fairfield and Elizabeth Showman of West Chester, Rachel is well known around the halls by students and teachers alike.
“She has good parents, but I think a lot of what makes her so special is that she’s just self-driven,” said Chrissy Fox, the HHS vocal music director. “She’ll be successful in whatever she does because knows what it means to work hard.”
Showman has become a master of time management.
In addition to the countless hours she spends rehearsing for the Rhapsody in Blue show choir, she also serves as Webmaster for the National Honor Society, practices for her role as Muzzy van Hossmere in the drama department’s production of “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” works 20 hours a week at Caribou Coffee, logs dozens of hours of required community service and still finds time to sing for the residents at Berkeley Square Retirement Center — not for any credit, but rather just because she enjoys making them happy.
“If you don’t keep yourself busy, that’s when you get bored,” Showman says. “I know a lot of people who have messed up their lives when they don’t preoccupy themselves with productive things.”
About the only time you’ll find Showman sitting around and not worrying about her future is on Sundays in the fall when the Pittsburgh Steelers have her undivided attention.
“I’ve been crazy about them since I was 2 years old,” she said. “My dad trained me well.”
She wears her black and gold to school every Friday in the fall, and a lot of times the boys will question whether she really knows football or just likes the colors.
It doesn’t take long before they figure out what most everyone else at HHS already knows, which is whether it’s singing, dancing, acting, politics, time management, public speaking or even football, Rachel Showman knows what she’s talking about.
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2193 or jmorrison@coxohio.com.
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