Our latest Scholar Athlete of the Week has a passion for learning and speaks three languages fluently, never letting her vision loss make her lose her vision. NY1's Matt McClure introduces us.
Eva Hangartner realized early on that she did not see things the way everyone else did.
“The moment I realized that my eyes weren't functioning normally, I guess was when my grandmother would say, ‘Oh, do you see that plane up there?,’ And I would always say, ‘No.’ And I was always so frustrated because I could never see the planes in the sky,” Hangartner said.
Hangartner was diagnosed as a child with Cone Dystrophy, a genetic eye disorder that causes vision loss.
She said some may think the disability slows her down, but she believes it has made her stronger.
"I'm grateful for it, honestly," she said. "I think it's helped me develop character, and something, yes, I've struggled with, but I don't resent it at all anymore."
It is that positive outlook that has turned Hangartner into the student-athlete she is today.
Hangartner is a senior at the Bronx High School of Science. She is the captain of both the swim and track teams, serving as a role model to her younger teammates.
"She's a very dedicated athlete, focused in what she does all the time,” said her track coach, Charles Goldberg. “She does not settle for being anything but great. She works hard, and she's also very much of a leader."
While playing sports takes up a lot of Hangartner's time, she is most passionate about learning.
The teen is fluent in three languages and has set a goal to learn seven. She has taken on the challenge of advanced placement calculus, Latin, and physics courses, and she is always finding connections between her lessons and the outside world.
“When I'm running around the track, I honestly do think about banked curves and momentum and all these physics concepts that I wouldn't normally think of. Like, I don't think most people think about physics when they're running,” Hangartner said.
"If you're surrounded by a few kids like that, although there are very few who approach her level, you feel good about the future,” said her history teacher, Fredric Schorr.
Hangartner is off to Stanford University in the fall, where she plans to study international relations. She says in her spare time, she will continue to pound the pavement.
So, for overcoming every hurdle in her way, Eva Hangartner is the latest Ford Lincoln of Queens NY1 Scholar Athlete of the Week.