When Savannah Gordon was a thrower at Shenendehowa, it was the community environment that made her fall in love with track and field.

“Even though it's an individual-team sport, is how I like to think of it ... you rack points up as a team,” Gordon said. “But competition-wise, you're just competing against yourself.”

It’s what drew her back to coach Shen's girls. Gordon is currently in her fourth season guiding throwers.

“I wanted to just kind of come back and do something,” she said. “And what better thing to do than just coach and go back to throws?” 

Lessons of competition and resilience have also helped her with her other profession.

“I'm an opera singer at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City,” Gordon said.

Several days a week, Gordon makes the trip to the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, rehearsing and performing shows.

“The one term I keep using is a fever dream,” she said. “It doesn't feel real. And even still, I've now been working there for almost three months, and some days ... I can't believe this is my life.” 

It’s an achievement more than a decade in the making. After graduating from Shen in 2011, Gordon pursued music with a bachelor’s from UAlbany and then a master’s degree from Ohio University.

“It's a very hard field to break into. And, I mean, I did track and field, so I obviously love competition,” Gordon said.

Along the way, she auditioned a lot, earning opportunities at the Harlem Opera Theater and Moon River Opera. Gordon even performed the national anthem at the governor’s inauguration last year.

“Then it was just audition season this past fall, and I was applying and auditioning nonstop,” she said. “And here I am at the Met.”