May 6, 2026 — Precision matters. Whether executing a takedown, shading a watercolor, or solving a complex equation, Campbell High School senior Livia Ross personifies that same discipline in each. Her high school career defies easy definition. She is a standout wrestler, a talented artist, and one of the top academic minds in her class.
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THE WRESTLER
Livia had never wrestled before joining the team as a sophomore. Having challenged herself in the JROTC Raider program as a freshman to overcome shyness and meet new people, the bonds she built there instilled the confidence she needed to step onto the wrestling mat. It became a new outlet to test herself.
“I liked how even being a new wrestler, you could still win,” the Spartans grappler said. “You have to be able to push through the pain. When you want to quit, but then you win because the other wrestler quits, it takes a strong mentality.”
Campbell wrestling coach Rudolph Armocida can attest to Livia’s strong mentality.
“Liv is a standout mostly because of her heart and work ethic,” the coach shared. “Effort is never an issue. She has done an amazing job and transformed into a leader on the team.”
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She was a team captain who earned results on the mat and showed great character around it. As a senior, she won the Cobb County Championship in her weight class, and her 27-9 record featured 22 pins, including one that took just nine seconds. Her statistics alone would justify her leadership, but she also led by example through her dedication and diligence.
“She commits to excellence in everything she does,” Coach Armocida said, “and she works so hard to improve, never complains, and never seems to give up. In the semifinals of the Cobb County Championship, she injured her knee so badly she could barely walk, but we talked during injury time, and she wanted to finish the match. She managed to win when she couldn’t even bend her knee. She is beyond tenacious.”
THE ARTIST
It may seem like an odd dichotomy that tenacity on the wrestling mat could translate to beauty within art. In that way, Livia excels, and it’s an apt descriptor of many of her works.
“My recent pieces have been abstract and based on the nature that you see sprouting through sidewalks and pavement,” the Governor’s Honors Program for Art participant explained, “I feel like seeing the tiny beauties in our urban world, like, they're honestly more beautiful than any painting that someone could recreate. And I feel like that is a feeling that can't be put into words. It's just an indescribable beauty.”
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Livia is the product of parents who are both in education. Her father, Michael Ross, is one of her art teachers at Campbell High School.
“She was born with exceptional ability for illustration and storytelling with her drawings,” the understandably proud father insisted. “Her artistic voice is easily seen in what she creates. She has a story in all her works. Some of the pieces that stand out to me are her mixed media collages, especially ones that allow natural media to evolve and shape the art.”
Her three-dimensional pieces that look like elaborate shacks are among her works of which she is most proud. She mostly works in encaustics and wood, but also paints in oils and watercolors, uses clay, and illustrates drawings. It is a range that proves she is more multidimensional than even her favorite creations.
Her influences are both formed by the famous – Howard Finster and Beverly Buchanan – and homegrown.
“My dad was born and raised here and his whole family is very Southern,” Livia explained, “and then my mom is from Colombia. So, I have this dichotomy, and I have to bridge the gap between the two. I use a lot of biblical themes because that's very ingrained in both Southern and Hispanic cultures. They both are very church-oriented. And I like to portray how family is really important in all my pieces. I think sometimes people use art to show social problems, and just dark stuff. But I feel like art is a way for me to show the stuff that I appreciate or what I really like about what I do, where I live, and the people I'm around.”
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THE STUDENT
Her athletic accolades and artistic acumen are impressive in their own right. Given her academic achievements, one may wonder whether Livia Ross is the modern-day Renaissance woman, a student clearly Built for Beyond.
She is a National Honor Society member in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Campbell. She expects to graduate high school with a 4.849 grade point average, which puts her solidly in the running for class valedictorian. She will attend the U.S. Air Force Academy next year and wants to pursue medicine as part of a military career. So, she hasn’t coasted through her senior year. She’s taken on a curriculum that includes Biology and high-level math, with a mix of calculus, statistics, and advanced math.
“I served as Livia’s Internal Assessments (IA) advisor,” Coach Armocida noted. “If you speak with her for any amount of time, it becomes clear she is brilliant. She wrote her IA on the same subject I teach, and seeing her perspective was so impressive. In wrestling, we have hours of bus travel during the season, and one of our favorite pastimes is discussing books we have read or are reading. The depth of thought she adds to the conversation surpasses any book discussion I had in my time at university.”
Livia’s IB Theory of Knowledge (TOK) instructor, Daniel Penick, has also noticed her brilliance.
“IB Theory of Knowledge is a course that asks students to examine how we know what we claim to know across different subjects and real-world contexts,” Mr. Penick said. “Liv is a real asset in the TOK classroom because she has such a diverse skill set as a student. She's particularly skilled in math and science, but she's also an incredibly talented artist, making her uniquely equipped to contribute to our discussions, no matter the topic. I often depend on Liv to help her peers reach deeper insights or profound conclusions because she always has great wisdom to offer.”
THE VIRTUOSO
Make no mistake. Livia Ross is not defined by any one of these aspects. Nor is she defined by all three. She moves easily among the different groups. Not to be accepted, but because she accepts others first.
“What makes her such a great presence on campus,” her TOK teacher observed, “is that she accomplishes everything without a shred of pretense. She is open, accessible, and casual with everyone she meets, and she has a friendly smile for any visitor to our school. As such, she's kind of the total package as a student!”
Livia understands her identity is not found in what she does, but in who she is. Still, whether on the mat, in the studio, or in the classroom, there is a precision to her character that makes each pursuit distinctly her own.
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h/t non-branded photos provided by the Ross family
