Meet Instant Replay’s newest Scholar Athlete of the Week: Samantha Mujica of Lytle High School.
Samantha is a three-year member of the varsity cross country and track teams. She was named First-Team All-District, First-Team All-State, is a two-time state medalist and helped lead the Cross Country team to the school’s first girl’s state appearance. She’s the Student Body Class President, the Vice President of the National Honor Society and the Student Council and has been a U.S. Senate Youth Delegate. Samantha has been a Congressional Intern and tutors bilingual-speaking students. Samantha maintains a 4.0 GPA and is ranked number one in her class. Samantha received a full academic scholarship to attend Harvard University, where she will concentrate in Government and Education Studies and eventually work for the U.S. Department of Education, with the aspiration to create equitable educational legislation for rural communities.
WHAT MEMORIES DO YOU TAKE AWAY WITH YOU AS YOU LEAVE HIGH SCHOOL?
“My favorite memories of school would be going to visit the Capitol representing the State of Texas with the U.S. Senate Youth Ambassadors Program. There, I met with several high schoolers from across the country and it was an awesome opportunity. I really appreciate it and it gave me insights into the political system of the United States.”
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUR FELLOW STUDENTS ON HOW TO BALANCE ACADEMICS AND ATHLETICS?
“My best advice is using time management skills. I’m a big fan of Google Calendar. I think knowing how to organize your time and prioritizing what you value is really helpful when it comes to doing both in high school.”
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AFTER YOU GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL?
“After high school I hope to attend Harvard College to have a concentration in Government and a secondary in Educational Studies where I hope to work in Educational Policies specifically at the state level with the Texas Education Agency and after a couple of years, the U.S. Department of Education. Coming from a rural background and a rural public school I’ve understood that many of these communities face educational inequity and I hope to one day make change when it comes to the Educational sector. It’s a culmination of my own adversity and wanting to make change in that area.”
WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUR PARENTS OR TEACHERS OR COACHES?
“For my teachers, it takes a little village to raise a child and I feel that most of who I am today is because of my fifth grade teacher and the culmination of my other teachers so, I appreciate them and I love them for that. For my parents, I want to say thank you, I love you all because of the hard work and sacrifice they gave us to help me have this opportunity now.”
Daniel P. Villanueva has worked with KSAT 12 for over 20 years and is an award-winning producer. To submit story ideas, email dvillanueva@ksat.com
