Photo by Karen Quincy Loberg

Westlake valedictorian Aislinn Smalling's "biggest achievement, was that she tried to have balance rather than a single crowning moment," says her mother, Jill.

Photo by James Glover II

Aislinn Smalling was second in two events and anchored two relay titles at the CIF-Southern Section Division II finals.

For Westlake High's Class of 2008 valedictorian, getting a foot in the door of the toughest class in school was no sure bet.

There was a prerequisite physiology course to complete, three letters of recommendation to acquire, an essay to finish and interview process with peers.

Just to be one of 27 students to be accepted into a one-of-a-kind Advanced Anatomy class.

"It was the only program like it in the state," said Aislinn Smalling. "To have the opportunity to dissect a human cadaver as a senior was awesome."

Broken down into groups of five or six students, the class studied cases of bioethics, went on field trips to the Body World exhibit and to area hospitals. One test scored 3,000 points. Another 6,000.

"Everything was pretty collaborative," said the 2008 Star Girls' Scholar-Athlete. "Our last project was to take a bioethics case, modernize it and turn it into a play.

"The sense of accomplishment in the class was amazing."

Along with getting straight A's in four AP classes (in addition to Advanced Anatomy), Smalling was able to attain National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association All-America times in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle events for the fourth consecutive year, finish runner-up in two individual events and anchor two championship relays at the CIF-Southern Section Division II finals in Long Beach.

Smalling played a major part on Westlake's 2007 Division II girls' swimming championship team and 2008 squad that finished second.

"I definitely wanted to be the valedictorian this year," said Smalling, who raised her cumulative GPA to 4.62 at the end of the school year. "I made that my focus. It did take away from the swimming, although I still got my best times at CIF."

The rugged path Smalling assaulted will help her adjust to the expected rigors that await her as a freshman student-athlete next fall at Princeton University.

"Aislinn's biggest achievement," said her mother, Jill, "was that she tried to have balance rather than a single crowning moment."

That has defined Smalling from an early age.

"She has always been able to make decisions and prioritize every step of the way," said Jill Smalling. "When she decided to take the Advanced Anatomy, she knew she might be giving away her chance to make Olympic Trials cuts (in swimming). But this was a chance of a lifetime to take that course.

"For a parent, it is extremely satisfying to see your kid sort through all of this and make extremely hard decisions."

Smalling had an unsatiable thirst for knowledge.

"Aislinn started out by memorizing books," Jill remembered. "She memorized the word, just not the story. She would create stories in her mind.

"She was very curious. She'd follow people around and ask them questions. And she'd never be satisfied with a simple answer. We had to teach her how to find the answer, so we made a lot of trips to the library."

Smalling was driven to achieve academic and athletic goals.

To achieve personal standards, she had to sacrifice personal life for slices of time for homework and swimming.

"There was not much time to hang out," said Smalling. "What I lost was worth it because I loved the classes and interacting with people. And I loved the swimming.

"It was a constant struggle and took constant thought. I might have to get out of swimming a half-hour early because I have a big calculus test coming up. That means I might have to go to swimming a half-hour early the next morning. I had to be on top of it."

Academics did not come easy for Smalling.

"It was not because of natural brilliance," she said. "It came more out of perseverance; I could not slack off. I took thorough notes."

She crammed homework in two hours between arriving home and swim practice. School projects and more studying would have to wait until after her workout.

Into her busy schedule, Smalling squeezed in one diversion.

For a half-hour every week, Smalling took voice lessons.

"While swimming became more of a job, singing was a stress releaser," she said. "It was more my fun time."

Singing may have to be put on the back burner. At least for the fall semester.

"I need to see if I can handle all of the work," she said.

Keeping balance is a priority.