Alex Dediu

Honorable mention male Scholar-Athlete
Alex Dediu
Dublin Coffman
Grade-point avg.: 4.47
$1,000

Sports played: Cross country (4 years), track (4), basketball (1)

Academic highlights: AP Scholar; International Baccalaureate diploma program candidate; scored 35 on ACT

Athletic highlights: All-district and all-league in cross country and track

College choice: Ohio State (anticipated major: economics and marketing)

Photo location: On the trails at the M.L. “Red” Trabue Nature Preserve in Dublin, where I frequently run

Home front: I’m an only child and a first-generation immigrant from Romania. My parents, Andreea and Adrian, left everything behind to come to the United States 18 years ago and now both work for JP Morgan Chase in Delaware County.

Favorite subjects: It’s a tight race between math and history. It’s tough to beat the feeling from solving math problems that seem to appear in a different language at first glance. Studying historic events intrigues me even more, possibly because we are experiencing firsthand an era in which students decades from now will learn about in their own classrooms.

Least-favorite subject: Chemistry was my first and most challenging AP class in high school, and it taught me one lesson: Science will not have anything to do with my major in college. 

Prized possession: An autographed Roger Federer hat, which he signed in 2012 at the Cincinnati Masters when tennis had been my thing for many years. 

Favorite books: I have a favorite series, written by Lisa McMann: “The Unwanteds.” It reminds me of a mix between Harry Potter and the “Divergent” series. I would highly recommend these books to any fan of both.

Favorite movie: Nothing can top the cast of Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade and Kevin James in “Grown Ups.” You’re basically combining four comedians into one act — unbeatable.

Favorite television show: “Space Force,” on Netflix. The show is from the creators of “The Office,” and I absolutely love Steve Carell, so this is a no-brainer.

Favorite musician: Khalid. I was lucky enough to see him in concert last summer. He is amazingly influential for how young he is, and his music seems to fit well with any type of mood that I find myself in.

Essential app: Literally speaking, I can’t do without my work scheduling app. But figuratively speaking, I’d say that losing Apple Music would be a devastating blow. 

Favorite home-cooked meal: Waffles on Sunday is a classic family breakfast that my dad does every other week or so. It’s the perfect meal for my off day.

My cooking specialty: Omelettes. I usually have eggs three or four times a week in the mornings after I run, but I’ve gotten pretty creative with cooking them. You can’t go wrong with eggs.

Favorite restaurant: House of Japan has remained my No. 1 because I only go once or twice every year. It’s usually best for birthday celebrations or anniversaries of some sort, but being able to see the food cooked in front of you makes the experience that much more enjoyable.

Guilty pleasure: Describing my allowance of ice cream as “on occasion” would be a bit of an understatement, but it’s typically my go-to dessert. I also sometimes snack on Kit Kats; I had like six or seven the night before the state meet, and it actually worked.

Proudest sports moment: None can top the emotions I felt when our 4x800 relay team qualified for the state track meet in 2017, my freshman year. I nearly choked our qualifying spot as the anchor leg; my freshman self wasn’t nearly as ready for the immense pressure. Being able to share that experience with my upperclassmen teammates as a group completely under the radar is something to cherish.

Sport I’d like to try someday: I’d go with disc golf. I’ve tried almost every other sport at some point in my younger years, including regular golf, but that proved to be too difficult. Disc golf seems to be a good mix with ultimate frisbee, a popular sport among runners, and it’s free to play.

Story behind my uniform number: I was never able to find the exact same uniform two seasons in a row, so I have yet to develop a connection or story with a particular jersey. Running is just one of those sports where the uniform number is irrelevant, but each time I get a new one, I try to make a personal connection with the three numbers on the back.

Favorite athlete: I only recently started following Parker Stinson, a professional distance runner for Saucony. He sort of reminds me of myself when he discusses the mental battles and struggles he’s endured, and we seem to tactically race pretty similarly. I also envy the “grind” mentality that he has become known for as a lone wolf training on his own in Boulder, Colorado.

Inspiration: My parents took a huge risk 18 years ago in leaving Romania after I was born with the intention of starting a new life in the U.S. Leaving everything behind — all family, friends, property and successful careers — they once again had to build from the ground up financially while also learning English as a second language. I strive to embrace that same level of discomfort and risk.

Dream job: Considering that I hope to obtain a business degree at Ohio State and would love to stay in touch with running regardless of what the future entails, working for a company that has running-specific branches such as Nike, Adidas or even apparel-based Tracksmith would allow me to pursue two of my passions. The cherry on top would be an opportunity to travel the world as a representative or salesman for such a company.

Place I’d like to travel: Iten, Kenya, is well-known for serving as host of a training camp for many professional Kenyan runners who prefer elite workout grounds with a more simple lifestyle than what is offered throughout our modern world. It would be an eye-opening experience, not necessarily because of the trails and backroads, but because of the opportunity to see how different one’s values and beliefs can be across numerous world-class athletes.

Something most people don’t know about me: I have dual citizenship and can actually understand Romanian but not speak it; I grew up listening to it but was taught English since I was raised in the U.S. at the age of six months. 

Least-favorite household chore: For the most part, I actually enjoy cleaning and keeping things organized  and spiffy, especially when it’s my own room or the kitchen. If I had to choose one, it would be vacuuming for the sheer reason that ours is not cordless, and so it becomes a lot more time-consuming to constantly switch outlets. First-world problem, I know.

Something I can’t get right no matter how hard I try: Flipping pancakes. Some of the batter always misses the landing zone.

Words to leave by: “Always remember, You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” ― A.A. Milne 

By Ray Stein
rstein@dispatch.com