Eagles Spotlight: Josie Earnhardt '18

Senior Josie Earnhardt contributes greatly to the Rabun Gap community as a student-athlete. As a silent leader on campus, Josie inspires her classmates on and off the court. A standout basketball and volleyball player, Josie has been competing for the Rabun Gap basketball and volleyball programs for the past seven years and is working hard to get recruited and compete at the collegiate level.

How did you end up at Rabun Gap? I grew up in Asheville living on the campus of Asheville School. My family moved to Rabun Gap when I was 7 years old. I had to go to the public school because Rabun Gap started in 6th grade at the time, but I knew that this is where I wanted to be when I got old enough to attend Middle School.

What is your personal philosophy? For me the main thing I value is keeping the things I find important close to me such as God, family, school, friends, and of course sports. Basketball has become a main focus in my life, but I try to never let it get ahead of my religion, family, and school.

At what age did you start basketball and what role does it fulfill in your life? I started playing basketball as early as I could walk because my dad has been a coach my whole life. I began playing it seriously in 5th grade.

What do you like to do in your free time? Besides basketball, I enjoy playing Call Of Duty with my little brother even though I am really bad at it, hiking, and watching family fued with my family knowing we would win if we went on there.

What classes do you love here and why? My favorite classes that I have taken here at Rabun Gap so far have been Geometry, Algebra 2, and Anatomy. I love math, and algebra comes very easy to me so that is why those are my two favorites. Dissecting has really been fun in anatomy class and Ms. Flagstad is super cool.

Describe your favorite teacher? What types of things do you do in that class? There are so many great teachers here at Rabun Gap so it's very hard to only pick one. I would say my favorite teachers I have this year has been Ms. Rice and Ms. Flagstad. I am not great at English, but Ms. Rice has really helped my writing and forced me to do many presentations in class which has helped me get over the idea that I am bad at presentations. She always keeps me engaged in class. Ms. Flagstad continues to play educational games and helps us learn in different ways so her class is never boring.

When I was young, my parents took me to Indianapolis to watch the Women's Final Four. My dad had always been a UCONN fan, so of course that is who we were going for. As I was watching them play, I loved the way Maya Moore played. One of my other favorite players I was able to watch that weekend was Skylar Diggins. They have become my two favorite players since that weekend.

 

What does success in the classroom mean to you? Success in the classroom means a lot to me. When I decided I wanted to play Division 3 basketball when I was in 9th grade, I knew that my grades were going to be my road to a good scholarship. I pride myself on always being on high honors.  

What motivates and inspires you? My parents have definitely been my biggest motivators. I could not have become the person I am in school or in athletics without their support and encouragement.

What are your best habits as a thinker? When I need to do homework or write a paper, the way I stay focused is by listening to country music in my room. I am not sure why this works, but it does.

What are the colleges that you have been looking at and would really love to attend, and why? Right now my top four schools are Kenyon College in Ohio, Hiram College in Ohio, Emory and Henry College in Virginia, and Centre College in Kentucky. They are all small schools with high academic standards. I either want to be an orthodontist or a therapist for veterans both in which I will need a good education. Although I will be playing basketball in college, school will still come first.