Andrew Hearon begins senior year

Senior quarterback Andrew Hearon prepares for his last football season with as much hope as ever for the team’s success. The civil engineering major has found on the team a consistent, positive culture that has remained as supportive as it was when he first came onto campus unsure of what the future lay in store.

Sports have followed Hearon through his whole life. “I’ve always had a big interest in sports at an early age,” Hearon said, citing his involvement in flag football, basketball, and baseball since he was four years old. As he grew older, he settled on football as his sport of choice, becoming “pretty successful” as he got into high school. At the Metro Christian Academy in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Hearon led the team to the state semifinals his junior and senior year, and was named Gatorade Player of the Year in his senior year.

Turning his eyes toward college, Hearon wanted more than just a shot at athletic glory. “What was most important was finding a good balance between an athletic program I wanted to be in and an academic program I wanted to attend,” he said. Going to Carnegie Mellon gave him “a big change academically.” Much like many first-years, he came onto campus with an unwavering vision for his future. “I wanted to major in engineering because I knew I was decent at math and science,” he said.

As the years went by, however, Hearon learned a lot about what he really wanted to do with his future. “College helped me decide engineering’s not really what I want to do. When I’m done here, I’ll be entering the financial industry.”

He advises those who are uncertain about going through with their intended major to seek out different avenues of interest since college is the ideal time in life to examine what they really want to do.

Though his academic life has taken a few twists and turns, Hearon has been able to rely on football to provide stability. “Football helped smooth out everything.” From his first practice before orientation to his final season, Hearon has made a large number of friends. “The people have really made this school special.” He has attributed the constant positive atmosphere to the coaching staff, allowing him to see the team differently yet recognize the team he first joined as a first-year. Hearon has emerged as a leader on and off the field, and he has earned a few accolades, such as an All-UAA Honorable Mention for his performance last season.

As his playing career winds down, Hearon is considering coaching as a way to stay involved in the game. “I would like to get into coaching at the high school level.” Although he knows that he won’t be able to play the game as much in the future, “football will never really leave.”