Favorite school subjects: My Global Education English and International Relations block. I have been with the same group of students for two hours for four years of my high school career. We have become extremely close and consider ourselves a family. I am also fortunate to have had both these teachers twice in my career as I have truly learned a great deal that will help me in college. In fact, all the teachers in the Global Education program have taught me critical thinking skills and how to be a global member of society that I will be forever grateful for.
Favorite place in Metro Detroit: Little Caesars Arena and anywhere that I can get out and run.
Recommended Videos
Favorite Book: My favorite book is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I appreciate the development of the characters and the symbolism used throughout. I like that Gatsby goes after his ideal American Dream.
Favorite Food: Pizza. My favorite pizza is pepperoni pizza from Little Caesars. My family has pizza every Thursday night as a family and we make sure to get enough so that there are leftovers for lunch the next day.
Favorite Music: My favorite music is just about anything from the 1980s. I listen to it on the way to the cross country meets to get myself pumped up and ready for my race. I especially like the song “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears. You can often find my mom and I singing at the top of our lungs while driving in the car.
Ryland Hughes is a senior three-sport athlete for Livonia Stevenson High School. He competes in swimming, cross country and track and field and won the 2022 4Frenzy Comeback Runner of the Year award. The strong bonds formed with his team over his high school cross country career is a major part of his love for the sport.
“I have been running since the third grade and immediately had a passion for it,” said Hughes. “However, it was not until a summer race at the Divine Child Summer Series that I realized I had a passion for distance running after completing my first mile. I received a medal, but it was not the medal that was the satisfaction but rather the accomplishment of completing a mile. From that point on I knew I wanted to continue a career in running distance.”
“Not only do I have a love for running but for what my teammates mean to me,” said Hughes. “They are a group of people who are there for one another both on and off the course. We have an opportunity to really get to know one another because when you run long-distance, you have a fantastic opportunity to talk on the longer runs. Yet, the sport of cross country also allows me to be competitive. And, while I may be competitive with the other runners on the course, I am most competitive with myself because I am constantly looking to better myself as a runner. Lastly, I like that I can share this sport with my one sister as we both run on the same team.”
“I appreciate all that Coach Inch has done for me over the past five years,” said Hughes. “He allowed me to start running with the high school team the summer before eighth grade, so I was a Spartan before I even got to high school. When I did well during 8th grade, he would send out a REMIND and let the team know. Therefore, by the time I started high school, I was already one of the guys. That is what I like about being a part of my team. The camaraderie, the fact that we are always there for one another. We are always cheering one another on. We are always pushing each other to do our best.”
Hughes’ philosophy for success is having a goal-driven attitude that can overcome all obstacles that impede success.
“I believe that to be successful you can never give up,” said Hughes. “Once you set your mind to something, you need to go and do what you can to achieve your goal. I set a goal to break 17 minutes this season and I did. Now, I hope to continue to bring my time down as I still have a hope to run next year in college. I have grit and want to continue to persevere because I believe there is still more to learn and more that I have to offer.”
Hughes is a passionate runner who is also passionate about giving back to his community. He is a member of the Six Mile Track Club, a member of the National Honor Society, volunteers at Parkrun, runs a weekly free 5k race on Saturdays at Bicentennial Park and is a buddy for the Miracle League of Plymouth. He plans on attending college next year and has been in the process of making his final decision on where to attend. He plans to run at the collegiate level and become a coach in the future.
“After I graduate from high school, I would like to coach both cross country and track and field,” said Hughes. “I would like to give back to the youth and community what my coaches and Stevenson gave to me. I am a proud Spartan and was taught in the School of Global Education to ‘Think Globally, Act Locally.’ I would like to act locally one day and be a mentor to the future of the running program that my coaches were to me.”
“I am thankful to all my friends and family who have supported my high school cross country running career,” said Hughes. “The love and support that I received from the people in my life cannot be measured nor quantified but it is more than appreciated. While I still have track season to look forward to the close-knit family that the cross country team has been to me will not be forgotten as I move on to my future endeavors. I am proud to have served as one of the captains and I am proud to call myself a Spartan.”
We would like to thank our sponsors Detroit Area Honda Dealers, Concordia University and Meijer for their support!