Patch Star Student Athlete: Mia, Of Ramsey

RAMSEY, NJ — We all know student athletes who also bring their A-game to other parts of their lives.

Here at Patch, we've launched an initiative to help recognize these heroes making a difference in their communities. We're working to let all your neighbors know the individual stories behind the leaderboard.

This submission comes from Keri Walsh who nominated Mia — a Saddle River Day School senior, of Ramsey.

Star student athlete's name:

Mia

Star student athlete's home state:

New Jersey

Star student athlete's Patch town:

Ramsey

How do you know the star student athlete?

I am her mother.

What sport does the star student athlete play?

Basketball

Why do you believe the star student athlete should be recognized?

Mia is very driven in every aspect of her life. She is an incredible student and has never missed a homework assignment. She never misses a practice or a game, even when she is injured. Mia even maintained her workouts throughout quarantine by creating three hours of strengthening, conditioning and basketball drills each day so that she would be ready to play when everything reopened.

Giving back to the community and volunteering are very important values in our home. When Mia was in fifth grade, her teacher had a child, who resides at Andreas Home of Hope and Joy in Bolivia, visit the classroom. He was in the U.S. to receive medical treatment. Mia was so moved when she met him that she came home insisting that we needed to do something to help him. With our guidance and the generous donations, Mia organized a bagel breakfast fundraiser that generated $5,000 for the organization, Love In Action, that runs the orphanage. Mia and I became so involved that we spent two weeks over two consecutive summers working at the orphanage in Bolivia and developing lifelong relationships with the children and staff there. Mia also organized fundraisers — i.e. money in lieu of birthday gifts and garage sales — to raise money so that the children could go shopping to pick out new sneakers and clothing. A book drive also started a library at the orphanage.

Mia has suffered some major setbacks in the past two years. She tore her ACL in her left knee in summer 2021 and her ACL in her right knee in summer 2022. Despite her setbacks, she works every day to return to the sport she loves. She has committed to play basketball at Gettysburg College next year when she is a freshman. In order to capture a different perspective (one other than her mother's point of view), her AAU NJ Panther Basketball Coach also took the time to write something on Mia's behalf.

— From John Griff, Owner and Head Coach of the NJ Panthers

Mia Walsh is a hero.

We live in an information overload world: 24/7 news reporting, talk shows on every topic imaginable, endless social media posts, podcasts – all searching for and creating content. All too often, the negative, or the actions that can be criticized rise to the top – somehow, we are drawn to those – and acts of kindness or other feel-good stories get relegated to the last seconds of a newscast or buried deep in surrounding content. Acts of heroism get reported up front only when they involve life and death drama, typically in the face of bad behavior initiating a problem or the event involving large numbers of people.

But acts of heroism happen all day long, every day. A teacher or office worker inspires others to be kind, to be thoughtful, to go out of their way to help others. Charitable giving that doesn’t end up in a building being named for the donor but allows someone in need to eat/stay warm/get to school/whatever. Mentorship, providing a roadmap to those simply trying to navigate life. These are the acts of heroism that don’t sell ads, so they don’t make the news cycle or social media posts. Yet these are the acts of heroism that drive our individual and collective journeys forward.

Mia Walsh is a hero.

Mia is a student-athlete, driven to excel. She is a leader, leading by example as well as through her thoughts and actions as she gives direction and takes care of her classmates and teammates. She is a glue girl, a culture carrier – all in an age when being so for a teenager takes more courage than ever (see above – you make a mistake, it gets posted).

Mia suffered her first ACL tear in the Summer of 2021 – the summer of her rising Junior year of High School, a critical time for a basketball player’s college recruitment. College coaches were unable to evaluate her, so she lost much of their attention and therefore her college options. She could have wallowed in self-pity; her dream being taken away from her in a freak accident. But she didn’t. She attacked her rehab working harder than ever, ultimately making her body even more athletic than it was before the injury.

Mia completed her rehab extraordinarily fast, a credit to her work ethic and the intense effort she put in each day. But despite the quick recovery, she also lost her 2021-2022 High School Basketball season, and that Winter’s opportunities to be evaluated by college coaches. But she was ready to play at the beginning of her 2022 Spring and Summer AAU season; fueled by her inner drive and her improved athleticism, she was more productive than ever, and she once again drew the attention of college recruiters.

Then she tore the ACL in her other leg. It was a devastating scene for her teammates and coaches. And once again, Mia had a choice; embrace the challenge or run from it.

What did she choose? The work. And now, on the back of a reputation for embracing and overcoming challenges, she has been recruited to a high-profile college basketball team which she will join in September 2023.

Mia’s responses to her injuries, as well as her leadership efforts and simple thoughtfulness for others throughout the day are acts of heroism. She is an enormous influence on those around her, and every life she touches is stronger, more capable for her influence. This past Summer, after her injury, as testimony to her influence, her teammates had t shirts made for warm-ups that said, “Mia Strong.” And then they went out and played Mia Strong.

Mia may be famous one day for all her contributions. Or not. Either way. All of us owe her thanks for her influence, for her contributions to moving our journeys forward.

What's one thing you want everyone to know about the star student athlete?

Mia is a strong and confident young lady who would give the shirt off of her back to anyone who needed it. Her work ethic is going to take her far in life.

Keep up the great work, Mia!

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