Bright Athlete: Salma Araghi

ENTERPRISE, Ala. (WTVY) - The roaring sound of the “Big Blue Band” echoes through Wildcat Stadium during Friday night football games.

Salma Araghi leads the pack as section leader for the saxophones.

She also has a 4.2 GPA and, not to mention, holds leadership roles in student government and other clubs and honor societies.

“I always look at my future and think about my goals and that I need to get good grades to achieve them so… you gotta do it,” said Araghi.

Easier said than done for most, but Araghi makes juggling her busy schedule look easy.

Her band director Sean Weiler said, “I think that’s why Salma is so successful. It’s because she understands how to use her time wisely and manage her commitments and she’s just got a good system in place for her to be successful.”

She has been playing saxophone since junior high. Her love of another sport, however, led her to pursue marching band.

“Martial arts taught me a lot about just discipline and being able to push through things and having the confidence to do that,” she said. “So that always transfers into everything; especially marching band. With being able to have the notes and the music playing in your head while you’re feet are in step.”

Weiler said that marching band is an athletic activity for musicians. “They’re constantly moving, they’re having to control their breathing to create a good sound on their instrument, they’re having to contort their bodies in weird ways to make sure their sound is going forward,” he said.

When asked how she manages the stress of marching band on top of her other responsibilities Araghi said her faith is what she relies on.

But when things get really tough... she punches a punching bag.

Araghi applied to many different universities. Those include some international options where she was born in Columbia. She is waiting to decide if she will continue band in college.

Subscribe to our News 4 newsletter and receive the latest local news and weather straight to your email every morning. Get instant notifications on top stories from News 4 by downloading our mobile apps.

Copyright 2022 WTVY. All rights reserved.