Burlington

Tiedt rises above challenges

Burlington High School senior Malik Tiedt became one of 32 WIAA Scholar Athletes at an awards ceremony on May 5.

BHS senior earns state scholar athlete accolades

By Jason Arndt

Editor

Balancing a heavy workload of advanced placement classes, racing to athletic competitions and staying involved in extracurricular can present a challenge for any student.

Burlington High School senior Malik Tiedt is one of those students, and by his own admission, he sometimes felt like giving up.

Tiedt, however, never did and credited his strong support system of family, friends and classmates for offering continuous inspiration.

The continuous inspiration and determination paid off Sunday, when he received recognition as a Wisconsin Interscholastic Association Scholar Athlete in an awards ceremony at the Hilton Garden Inn in Wausau.

Tiedt, joined by 31 other students from throughout the state, said he is still absorbing the accomplishment.

“I was humbled, honestly. I was in shock,” he said. “Everyone who had helped me get to where I was, had sacrificed so much, I thank everyone for that.”

The support, he said, included mother, Heidi, four siblings, several coaches, classmates and teachers.

“I am extremely grateful for my coaches, my family that pushed me to be the best I can be,” he said, adding his brother Hegeman, who plays football at University of Wisconsin, has been a huge role model for him.

Tiedt, a National Honor Society member, spent many late nights working on homework while balancing varsity volleyball and tennis to achieve a weighted 4.33 grade point average.

In addition, during the winter sports season, he honed his craft of volleyball by playing for Kenosha-based Southport Volleyball Club.

“There were definitely a lot of late nights, I went from one practice to another, and then I’d spend the whole night working on homework,” he said. “There wasn’t any downtime. I pushed myself as hard as possible and I guess it turned out to be worth it.”

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