'A Great Kid All Around': Islip Star Student Athlete

ISLIP, NY — 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 Suzanne, who nominated Scarlett, who is a family member.

Suzanne had many kind things to say about Scarlett. Not only is she a dedicated tennis player, but she is always striving to make the world a better place.

Read on to learn about Scarlett:

Star student athlete’s name

Scarlett

Star student athlete’s home state

New York

Star student athlete’s Patch town

Islip

How do you know the star student athlete?

Family Member

What sport does the star student athlete play?

Varsity Girls Tennis

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

Scarlett is one of those girls that is just a great kid all around. She doesn't give her mom a hard time, lol, always takes care her of cats and dogs, is a vegetarian too, because she loves animals and stands against animal cruelty in any form. She's been playing tennis since she was six years old, beginning and learning her skills by playing three or four times a week. Now, as a Junior in HS, she has been playing every year since then, four times a week with her fantastic Coach at Kings Park Sportime.

Tennis is a very mental game, and an individual sport - staying positive through every point can be incredibly challenging as a young person, who is growing and dealing with the ups and downs of middle school, friends, family issues - but Scarlett remains dedicated to her craft and stays strong with her work ethic.

She's learned a lot by losing matches, how to move beyond the disappointment and refocus. These skills allow her to mentor younger players, encourage them, and also will reflect on her adult life and how she will mentor others as she matures. She remembers how tough it was as a 7th grader, playing on Varsity with the 'older kids' and how girls can make fitting in as a younger player, really challenging.

There were a lot of tears in those early days, but I admired her for staying with the team, and now, as a Junior player, she remembers, and has reached out to all the younger players, to rally with them, talk and sit on the bus, cheer them on - she makes certain they know they're a part of the team.

During the summer months, when she's not playing tennis or drawing, she's at church, volunteering at VBS and having a blast as the younger kids tackle her and clamor all around her. She's grown into an intuitive leader, listening to each of them, teaching them about being selfless, but also about maintaining boundaries and self-respect.

She spends time cleaning the local beaches, keeping them clean for all the creatures that live there - fish, frogs, deer and more than once, she'll be running into the backyard to save a possum from the loud barks of her Labby-dog Coco!

Covid has left its mark on every child and the challenge they all face, is to be themselves, learn again to be socially active, and 'put themselves out there' and even if that means speaking up more in class, or connecting with another student that seems more quiet than usual.

Scarlett has overcome a great deal in her young life, and now can rebuild her high school years with a greater strength and bravery, knowing that those days are behind her. She continues to reach out to team members, old school friends, maintains her strong grades with her personal brand of self-discipline and has learned to listen to her heart, take a step back at times, rest and begin again with a new perspective to be better, kinder, more forgiving and loving.

She is my hero.

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

Scarlett is an incredible artist and writer, with a strong business mind, much more mature than many her age, which has made school life challenging too - She is incredibly brave, she will meet people in any setting and draw them out to get them to talk and feel comfortable. She's a remarkably kind, peaceful and loving young lady.

Keep up the great work, Scarlett!

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Know an outstanding student athlete? Nominate them as a Patch Star Student Athlete.