Each year Templeton High School gives out a number of awards at its Evening of the Stars night, including Athletes of the Year, Valedictorians and Scholar-Athletes. The night culminates with the prestigious Eagle of the Year honor.

The Eagle of the Year award is not something that can be won in the classroom or on the playing field. It is something that is earned, slowly, through every experience and interaction a student has with their teachers and peers. The Eagle of the Year is voted on by the entire senior class and also by the faculty.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the school’s award night was virtual, putting Asplund in the comfort of his own home when he received the news.

“It was a big surprise at first,” Asplund said. “I was just sitting on the couch watching the program seeing all my friends get their well-deserved awards and then Mr. Aston, our principal, was describing a friend of mine, like spot-on, and I was like ‘I can’t wait for him to win the Eagle of the Year award,’ and then they said my name and I was really confused, but also it was a big honor and going forward it’s going to be an inspiration to me that will help me give my best in anything.”

Asplund was a friend to everyone in his classes and also to everyone on the numerous extracurricular activities he participated in. The senior was a key contributor on both the Eagles basketball and volleyball teams and was also in the school’s Interact Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Trailblazers Club, Link Crew and the California Scholarship Federation.

Asplund also finished with a GPA above 4.0 during his time at Templeton High School.

“He is all anyone could ever hope for in a student, a player, a teammate and a friend,” said Asplund’s favorite THS teacher, Matt MacFarlane. “Years from now, someone will remember him athletically and academically, but few will forget the difference he made in their lives.”

One of the honors of being this year’s Eagle of the Year also came during the graduation ceremony. With every senior diploma in hand, Asplund took to the stage and led his friends and classmates in the turning of the tassel, officially ushering them into the next phase of their lives.

As for Asplund, he is about to embark on his own journey as he is preparing for his two-year mission with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He does not know where he is heading yet but is excited and already has a plan for his return, saying he will be attending Brigham Young University-Idaho, in Provo, Utah, with his eyes on a future in finance.