William Harris Heikkinen was born on August 10, 1994. The oldest of three children, he showed a talent for sports early on. During his elementary years in Andover, MA he played little league baseball during the summer of 2005 and received a trophy at the end of the season.
From there, Will found his favorite sport when he started playing football in 8th grade. He had elbow surgery that year, too. Football continued to be a passion throughout high school and now he is living his dream playing college football at Brown University. In addition to his athletic prowess, Will also did very well in high school academics. Guess he had to since he was accepted at Brown, which is an Ivy League college.
In May of 2013, Will and his teammate, Chance Brady were chosen as top scholar-athletes by the Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation. They were among 34 players being recognized. Both boys were Eagle-Tribune All Stars (the Andover newspaper) for their last two seasons in high school and All-Scholastics to boot.
Besides his involvement in football and studies in Andover, William Heikkinen realizes the power of volunteering in the community. He and his fellow high school students helped young students at Robert L. Frost Elementary School meet their academic goals by devoting many hours of tutoring and mentoring. The experience was not only academic for the elementary students but helped increase their self-esteem and confidence.
Looking toward the future, William is relishing his next three years on the Brown Bears football team and all the other amazing experiences that college life will bring.