What exactly is knowing someone? How can you best understand someone and truly determine their character? As most people know, it is through overcoming challenges and pushing one another to become the very best version of themselves that they can. These are the exact circumstances in which I first met and began to get to know Ethan Maas in the Fall of our Junior year. 

In order to first give some idea as to who Ethan really is, a quote from Capital teacher and coach Mr. Mickelson best summarizes the fabric of his character, “…As a person, Ethan is what I would refer to as a stand up guy.  Ethan is respectful, teachable, kind, willing to help others in need, and he also seems to strive to be the best version of himself all of the time. From a teacher’s perspective, Ethan would always do the things asked of him in class.  He would also help others that needed assistance in learning new lifts,  having issues with technique, or just lending a helping hand spotting wise… One thing was for sure, you could always count on him in the weight room. I cannot tell you enough how fortunate I feel to have had the opportunity to teach Ethan Maas these last two years. And to Ethan, I would like to say, ‘Good luck in all your future endeavors.  There is no doubt in my mind you will be successful.’ ” 

The setting in which you interact with others can influence the experiences you have involving them. In the case of my meeting with Ethan Maas, we met through our weight training class. I was immediately impressed with the sheer volume of hard work I saw. There wasn’t a single day in class when I saw Ethan give minimal effort. He put a tremendous amount of work into the various lifts we performed and saw gradual but exponential growth. While he did well in all lifts, he excelled in arguably the most difficult and technical of those lifts: the power clean. 

When asked about it and with a twinkle in his eyes he recalled a moment of significant pride in his life, “My 220 pound clean during my junior year.” He set his sights on getting into Clean Club, which is a very lofty and respectable goal for weight lifters. In order to get into it, one must be able to power clean 1.5x their own body-weight. On a Spring day in third period he achieved that goal, with a clean of 220 lbs. That being said, his athletic prowess was not limited to one of his best lifts. He also hit a bench press of 175 lbs (almost 20 lbs above body-weight) and a squat of 315 lbs!

Despite all his accomplishments in the gym, Ethan wasn’t always an avid weightlifter. Growing up in the Seattle area, he was always more technologically inclined, spending most of his time playing video games and watching various anime. Having his father who is a true jack-of-all-trades as his biggest role model meant that from an early age, Ethan developed a thirst for knowledge of various subjects.

Ethan’s desire to improve upon his knowledge and broaden his horizons has continued well past his childhood. Not only is he taking two manufacturing classes here at Capital, but he plans on attending college in the fall at SPSCC. Although he is still weighing his options out for exactly what sort of degree he is going to pursue, he does have some ideas of careers that interest him telling me, “Five years from now I would like to be working in the machining and welding industry”. Despite his newfound career ambitions, hobbies, and his work at Hash diner, Ethan still finds time to enjoy his longtime hobbies of video games and anime. 

Kindness, respect, honesty, dedication, and overall integrity are what make Ethan Maas stand out in the often vast sea of people. All qualities that make him an exemplary figure here at school and no doubt a role model for those around him. Finally, on a touching and personal note from Ethan’s girlfriend and fellow outstanding student Talis Auseth, “He’s also incredibly kind and even if he doesn’t know what to say he is always there for me.”  Which to me perfectly summarizes the true fabric of his character.