Alexa Groves is a 2024 graduate from Marco Island Academy. After graduating, she continued working at a local Mexican restaurant on the island and started classes at FSW for her general education. While serving one day, the Executive Director of The Watermark approached her and told her she had a great omen. Ever since then, she has worked for Marco Island’s newest senior living community, The Watermark. Alexa says her biggest influence has been her grandma. “She has always encouraged me to follow my heart and not let anyone else’s opinions define my choices,” Alexa states.
Alexa says that MIA, its staff, and students have certainly made an impact on what and who she wanted to be in life. She credits specifically Mr. Swope’s “What Do You Want To Be?” interactive activity in chemistry, and how this made her gears start spinning. Alexa was a part of football cheer and played basketball her freshman year. During her junior and senior year, she managed the boys’ soccer team and ran their Instagram. Being part of extracurricular activities taught her how to work as part of a team and build meaningful relationships with those around her.
Since graduating high school, the most shocking change that Alexa has faced is learning how to navigate the “real world,” having to understand the importance of financial independence, and realizing that not everyone you meet will have kind intentions. She expresses that she has faced many challenges since graduating. The hardest one has been the feeling of loneliness. In high school, it feels like everyone is your friend, but once you graduate, people move on and find different paths. It can be tough, especially working in a field where there aren’t many people close in age, but she loves what she does and finds fulfillment and joy in it.
However, with this adjustment, Alexa emphasizes that working at The Watermark has deepened those skills, teaching her the importance of making a positive impact on their members’ lives. Many of them are in the final chapter of their journey, so she tries to make every day feel like a celebration.
To future and present MIA students, Alexa gives you this: “Don’t listen to what other people say about you, and don’t change yourself just to please others. Avoid gossip, stay true to who you are, and remember you’re there to learn and grow, not to fit in.” She hopes that the students will take advantage of their time and live life to the fullest at MIA.
