By: Isabella Langner and Sam Gruetter

Center Editor and Editor-in-Chief

Senior Alex Rollins is the modern Renaissance man, doing everything from academic to creative hobbies. Legos have been a part of senior Alex Rollins’s life since he was a child: “I didn’t really watch TV that much or play games, so I just built Legos.” What started as a childhood hobby quickly turned into a passion. Rollins collects various Legos, with a special bias for Star Wars pieces. He began a YouTube channel with his sister, Sophia Rollins, where they filmed stop-motion builds. Their highest-viewed video garnered over 170,000 views. Their living room became a workshop, housing hundreds of Lego pieces for future creations. Rollins’s proudest achievement was recreating Rivendell from The Lord of the Rings, building it with his sister entirely without instruction, using thirty thousand random pieces they owned. Just before his senior year, Rollins began selling Legos on eBay and BrickLink, using his knowledge of Legos to obtain the highest values; for example, “the stuff that’s older sells for a lot more, and then specific characters too. For a main character in a show, we sell for a lot.”

Rollins’s dedication to his commitments shines through in his class load as well. This year, his schedule consists of AP Statistics, AP Physics C, Honors Orchestra, AP Literature, AP Government, Honors Economics, and Multivariable Calculus. Hoping to major in energy engineering, Rollins’s STEM-heavy class load has helped him prepare for college. He has furthered his passion for renewable energy by participating in a paid internship this past summer, where he worked on prototypes and models in the Santa Cruz Mountains that could potentially solve large problems related to energy scarcity. While his STEM prowess is undeniable, Rollins’s strongest quality is how well-rounded he is as a student, as indicated by his position as a National Merit scholar after earning a perfect score on the PSAT, a test that measures students’ aptitude in both math and English. 

Outside the realm of academia, Rollins also has an exuberant passion for the arts, playing the violin as the school’s orchestra concert master, an extremely selective role that requires high levels of achievement and ability in one’s music field. With all of these extracurricular activities, you may be wondering if Rollins ever has time to sleep and eat, but he does. On top of that, he makes time to indulge in his favorite hobbies: playing pickleball and basketball with his friends, going to the gym, and spending time with his dog, Molly. 

Dynamic is a term that does not do the academic and artistic skills of senior Rollins justice. His multitude of hobbies and interests indicates that you can, in fact, do it all. So, if you see Rollins walking in the halls, make sure to say hello to this one-of-a-kind individual.