Deer Park Home Link: Hezekiah Slind tackles life, school and the wrestling mat with kindness, joy and curiosity

Imagine a young man so modest that he didn’t know the standing ovations at his wrestling matches were for him. Or who, when informed that one of his instructors said he is the most genuine and captivating personality that he has ever encountered, was genuinely surprised.

Those examples personify Deer Park Home Link graduate Hezekiah Slind, whose greatest concern is that he might come off to others as “fake,” and whose humility assures that will never happen.

“I try to be kind to everyone,” Slind said, “because a little bit of kindness to others goes a long way.”

Slind even manages to bring that attitude onto the wrestling mat, where he has qualified for the state tournament the past two seasons.

“I try to wrestle as cleanly as I can,” he said, “and never take advantage if my opponent has an injury. I just wanted to leave everything on the mat, every time. Training is intensive, and I work as hard as I can all the time, but I also have fun. Wrestling is essentially martial arts, and that’s one of my biggest interests.”

This past season, Slind battled through illness at the district tournament to qualify for state, where he recorded his first Mat Classic victory and also earned an academic award. He has also competed at the Washington State Wrestling Association Freestyle and Greco-Roman State Tournament in the Greco division.

Slind is relentlessly positive, looking to find the best in every situation.

“My attitude towards school is that lots of kids see it as a chore,” he said, “but I think that every subject will be useful in some way, or it wouldn’t be required. So my approach is to figure out exactly how I’ll be able to apply each of them. In geometry, for example, I saw how that could help me with building things, and it’s the same in my other classes.

“I love challenges both physically and academically, and I’m always looking for new things to do. I’m really curious about the world around me, and I like to read books about challenges. Right now Jack London is one of my favorite authors,” Slind added.

“I want to wrestle at a higher level, but for a career I want to be a firefighter with EMT certification, and maybe have side jobs as an electrician or welder. I’d eventually like to have some property and live there.”

Those traits are readily apparent to those who meet him, said DPHL consulting teacher Pete Whittekiend.

“The moment you meet Hezekiah, you will walk away captivated by his genuine demeanor and desire to learn,” Whittekiend said. “He puts 101% into each of his endeavors, and no matter the task, Hezekiah meets it with vigor and joy.”