Oswego East Student-Athlete of the Week-Samantha Stevens

The transition to freshmen year of high school can be dramatic for many students, especially coming to a school like Oswego East, where there are 3,000 people in the building each day. However, Samantha Stevens has challenged herself in the classroom with rigorous courses and excelled and earned a place on the varsity tennis team this fall. Her tenacity has allowed her to thrive in the classroom and on the court, which is why she is this week’s Oswego East student-athlete of the week.

It was early on that Samantha found her love of tennis. During a vacation with her family to Jamaica when she was four years old, Samantha’s parents signed her up for a tennis activity. “Ever since she first picked up a tennis racket she has been passionate about it and plays all year round,” says Samantha’s mom, April Stevens.

When Samantha returned from her vacation, she started playing tennis one day a week, and eventually started lessons at Rush-Copley. Eventually, she joined her club team, Five Star, and started practicing every day. “Samantha has had interests in other sports like dance, soccer, volleyball, track, and field hockey which have come and gone over the years,” says April. She goes on to say, “Except for field hockey, which she continues to play in the off-season, Samantha has increased playing tennis over the years and become much more serious about it with more match play, tennis teams, tournaments, and now being on the varsity team for Oswego East.”

Making any sporting team in high school is always a tremendous feat, but making the varsity as a freshman requires not only skill but maturity as well. Head coach Peter Conrad saw both in Samantha, saying, “Throughout the season, Samantha has displayed amazing tenacity,” says Peter. He goes on to say, “She is a hard worker and a great teammate who shows maturity beyond her age.”

Samantha positioned herself as the second singles player on the varsity early in the season. She was able to win both of her conference matches last week to remain undefeated in conference play, and placed 2nd at two singles at the Lincoln-Way East Invite, giving her an overall record of 6-1.

Tennis is something Samantha admits she would like to be part of her future and play in college, something Conrad believes is very possible. “Samantha is already a strong player, and I believe that as Samantha continues to gain experience and translate that to her practice, developing a wider range of shot selections, she will continue to give even the most elite players tough matches,” says Conrad.

The drive to succeed and earn a scholarship to play at the next level is what Samantha admits drives her to succeed, even on her most difficult days. “Samantha always does her best in whatever she does,” says April. She goes on to say, “There’s not a time that I can recall that she has not brought 100% or more to the task at hand even if she’s sick, injured, or tired.”

That tenacity permeates through all that Samantha chooses to do in her life. Although she has only been at East for a short time, Samantha has maintained a grade of A or better in all of her classes, including rigorous courses such as AP Human Geography, Honors Chemistry, Honors English 2, and Spanish 2. April credits Samantha’s early success with similar characteristics that make her successful on the tennis court, saying, “Since Samantha has always been very active socially, athletically, and academically up to high school, the transition has been fairly easy for her. Her self-driven motivation to excel has positioned her well for what she is currently doing both inside and outside the classroom.”

Even though Samantha has only started her high school career, she already has an eye on the future with hopes of attending Northwestern or NYU and majoring in Pre-Med with hopes of becoming a pediatrician. “Science has been an interest of hers for a very long time and I think medicine is something that she can see herself doing in the future, and with her love of children, helping others, and being good at problem-solving, it seems like a natural fit for her,” says April.

Samantha’s Honors Chemistry teacher, Madhura Rede, understands what makes Samantha so successful in the classroom, saying, “Samantha goes above and beyond to learn and understand the content. She is a team player and always participates and supports her team.” Madhura believes she has what it takes to excel in medicine, saying, “With Samantha’s hard work, amazing work ethic, and passion for science, I am sure she will succeed at any Pre-Med program in which she is planning to major.”

Samantha has a considerable amount of time left at Oswego East to leave her mark and based on her first month, there is little doubt she is capable of achieving a lot of success. When asked what she learned in her first month in high school and the advice she would give to future Wolves, saying, “The amount of homework you have in middle school is nothing compared to high school, especially when you play sports. You are going to need to make sure you have good time management skills.” While the transition from junior high to high school is never an easy one, Samantha continues to buck the trend and remain ahead of the curve, and if she continues to do so, will undoubtedly leave Oswego East with several accolades and opportunities.