Logan Buckmon: Purpose, Power, and Perseverance

Logan Buckmon’s excellence has never been confined to a single space. 

On the mat, the Maryland junior gymnast is a relentless competitor and quiet leader. Off it, she’s a devoted science student and social activist whose passion for medicine was sparked long before college.

Shaped by a white coat, a community built around public health, two empowering parents, and a belief in progress through knowledge, Buckmon has grown into a role model for the next generation watching closely.

“She’s a joy to work with,” head coach Brett Nelligan said. “She’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever coached. She finds a good balance of training hard, but not being too hard or harsh on herself. I think that’s been the key to her success.”

Before her collegiate career had even started, Buckmon had already reached incredible heights and achieved remarkable accomplishments. She was the proud recipient of a white coat, a symbol of the dedication that’s always lived inside her. 

Throughout her time in high school, Buckmon participated in Project Lead The Way: Biomedical Sciences, a program based around the sciences people interact with on a daily basis. Buckmon and her peers learned about DNA and how vital daily medicines, vitamins and vaccines are. It was a multi-year introduction to the medical field, and Buckmon was hooked. 

“When I finally got my white coat, I was so proud and excited,” Buckmon said. “It finally solidified what I wanted to do with my life and what path I wanted to take in college. I knew that I wanted to be able to influence people to trust and allow themselves to be assisted by science and medicine. I knew I wanted to use the tools that I've been given to help others and uplift other people.”

More than just creating a sense of accomplishment and tremendous pride, Project Lead the Way gave Buckmon a community, one that shared a passion for connecting people with science and showing them how crucially important it is. 

“When I finally got my white coat, I felt like I was finally part of a community that shares a common interest and a common respect for something that we all use on a day-to-day basis,” Buckmon said. “I've met so many people in this major that are so nice and so welcoming. They all have such a holistic view of things that I feel like can make anyone a well-rounded individual.”

The knowledge she gained in the program directly led to a wisdom she uses on the mat, each and every time she competes. She strives for improvement, knowing that ebbs and flows are natural, so she never lets her highs get too high or her lows bring her down.

“I learned with Project Lead The Way that science is always a progression,” Buckmon said. “Gymnastics is, too. If I get a career high on the mat, I still see room for improvement. I'm still going to keep pushing, because at the end of the day, it's only going to benefit my team. If I'm having a low, it’s only more motivation and incentive for me to push harder, because it doesn't just benefit me, it benefits my team. That’s how it was in Project Lead The Way; when we did research projects and we ran into an issue, we all came together to fix that issue and improve whatever we were working on.”

She’s the ultimate team player, passionately committed to making a positive impact on every life she comes in contact with. Her tender heart for others was passed down to her, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that her kindness makes her weak. Buckmon is the epitome of the best kind of caring: empathetic, yet stoic. 

“It comes from my mom,” Buckmon said. “She's a very strong individual, but she definitely has a soft spot for lending out a hand to others. I saw that a lot from her growing up, and I think I definitely took that from her.”

Buckmon recalls her mom bestowing her wisdom and heart for others during her childhood, saying she told Buckmon that when she can’t uplift herself, the most important people in her life will pull her up.

“I want to be that person for other people,” Buckmon said. “I try to do it as much as I can. When I'm having a bad day, it honestly brightens my day when I can reach out to others and pull them up, even when I can't pull myself up.”

Her confidence, however, stems from a father who raised her with the knowledge that she’s her own best resource in any situation and for anything she wants to achieve. 

“My dad has always told me that I have all the tools,” Buckmon said. “I don't need to go and seek out anything more. I don't need to do anything else. I already have the tools with me. I just need to use those tools that I was given and really put them to work.”

Perhaps her most powerful trait is her humility. The example she sets is imperfect, which seemingly makes it all the better for any girl with Buckmon-like aspirations. 

“I want people to know that I'm human,” Buckmon said. “That doesn't make me any less confident. I would rather young girls see that than to see perfection all the time, because that's not realistic. I want them to see that it's okay to make mistakes. What matters is how you move on from them, what you do with them, and what you learn from them. I’d love for them to see that you can still be confident and make mistakes. You can still achieve your goals and make mistakes along the way. It's all about the process.”

“It’s incredible for her to have that mindset,” Nelligan said. “As a gymnast from the state of Maryland, she knows that a lot of kids in that crowd are coming to see her. When her name gets called during introductions, the crowd goes crazy because there are all those kids that have looked up to her. She takes it as a great responsibility that she needs to be an example to these young aspiring gymnasts, and she handles it with such grace.”

Buckmon is from White Plains, Maryland. Her high school — Maurice J. McDonough High School — sits just over 40 miles south of XFINITY Center, where her passionate fans flock to in order to see one of the Old Line State’s finest compete. 

“Because I'm so close to home, competing for Maryland feels very much like I'm representing my city,” Buckmon said. “I’m not the only one here from Maryland, but I definitely feel a sense of pride being from here and competing for my school. I feel like I bring a sense of what we're really about: hard work, family, resilience, and welcoming people with open arms. I feel like I represent that inside and outside the gym.”

She’s off to an incredible start on the mat in her junior year. She posted a career-high 9.875 mark on the vault in Maryland’s win over Illinois and dazzled with a personal-best 9.775 score on the uneven bars Terps’ dominant Terrapin Quad victory. 

To nobody’s surprise, she’s quick to credit her success to others. Her teammates, she says, and how well they bonded over the summer, make her feel like she’s competed alongside them for five years, not four meets. 

“What’s going right is knowing that we have a great team this year,” Buckmon said. “That allows me to get out there and really put it all out there and give 100%. Giving everyone a high-five after I compete and having a big smile on my face, knowing that I did it with no regrets, and that they have my back no matter what gives me all the confidence.”

“Logan is a quiet leader,” Nelligan said. “She likes to lead by example, and she’s one of the best examples you can have. Her work ethic in the gym is relentless, and she trains at such a high level.”

Over the summer, Buckmon could be found in the gym just as often, if not more, than anyone. From the weight room to the mat, she put in hours of work when not everybody was, again setting an example of her relentless dedication to being the best she can be. 

“I think that really sent a message to the newcomers that this is the level that we train at here at Maryland,” Nelligan said. “She set the tone heading into the fall. As she becomes an upperclassman, I’ve been asking her to be more of a vocal leader, and she’s starting to take that on and become more comfortable with it.”

After her gymnastics career — which is far from over — comes to what will surely be a bittersweet end, science will still be there for her, creating more opportunities to better the lives of others.

“I want to do dermatology,” Buckmon said. “I like that patient-to-doctor interaction a lot. I feel like public health gives me the more holistic side of medicine, where I don't only just learn about the science part, I get to learn about the psychological part, which will be helpful when interacting with patients, to cater their experience.”

More than anything in science, she wants to create a shared trust in the medical field. Science is crucially important, she says. It’s beneficial for everyone, and exists to help.

“I want to give public health a leg to stand on, and help people to trust science, because it’s fact,” Buckmon said. “I feel like we need to lean more into science and what doctors are telling us. Project Lead The Way really gave me an appreciation for that.”

Buckmon is an advocate. For social justice, science, self-confidence, and empowering others, she’s the paradigm for what a strong voice and role model can do. She uses her platform and voice for good. She’s quick to spread awareness to the things that matter to her, and her care for others exudes from her efforts.

“I realized recently that I'm much more of a role model than I thought to these young girls that come and watch us out on the mat,” Buckmon said. “Representing legacy and power, especially during this time, I want people and young girls that look like me to see that they can do what they want to do and go after their dreams, no matter what anybody tells them. I faced a lot of challenges throughout my time, and the fact that I'm here just proves that when you have a goal, do not let anyone deter you or tell you that you can't reach it.”

It’s a mindset rooted in something bigger than the moment — one that aligns naturally with the legacy and resilience often reflected on during Black History Month. For Buckmon, confidence isn’t performative — it’s something she carries, especially during a month centered on legacy, leadership and visibility.

“Can't isn’t a real thing until you decide that it's a real thing,” Buckmon said. “I want to represent confidence and grace and sureness when I'm out on the mat or when I'm in class. I want people to see that and feel that. When Martin Luther King Jr. was fighting for what he was fighting for, I have no doubt that when people looked at him, there wasn't a sense of doubt that he was going to achieve what he wanted to achieve. That's the kind of energy I want to exude in everything I do.”