It's the one time of day when Salma Elsayed says she can finally relax: the moment she hits the pavement.
"Track is just super … cathartic to me, especially when I have so much on my plate," said Salma Elsayed, a senior at The Young Women's Leadership School of Astoria. "I get to really just process what's going on in my day and also just plan, but also just focus on 'breathe in and breathe out.'"
The runner joined the varsity track team as a freshman. At first, she at first she would be a sprinter, but quickly learned mid-distance was her strong suit.
Elsayed was co-captain as both a junior and a senior, taking what she had learned along the way to help younger runners grow within the sport.
"She's the one that doesn't hesitate to get the students, as well as everything started within the practices," said track coach James Franco. "She'll always be the person to encourage everyone. She's always very positive and extremely helpful, being a true leader for our team."
Elsayed's day is far from over once she crosses the finish line. Homework from Advanced Placement (AP) history, psychology, and calculus classes keep her busy. Still, she's maintained a perfect GPA and is expected to graduate as valedictorian.
"It's become easier for me to manage everything," said Elsayed. "Because I don't do anything outside of school unless I am passionate about it. And so for me, the meetings I have, going to practice every day, it's something that I look forward to."
Some of Elsayed's most impressive work outside of the classroom is what she's done for other students. She spent the last two years fighting for more access to AP classes as a representative on the city education department's Student Advisory Council. Elsayed also interns with The Center for Educational Equity at Teachers College.
It's with this organization that she helped create an initiative to teach students about the importance of civic participation. In fact, Elsayed hopes to one day run for office herself.
"I think it's incredibly important to be involved in politics no matter your race, gender, sexual orientation, just because a lot of policies affect marginalized communities," said Elsayed. "In order to help your community, you should be part of the process."
For working hard to keep both herself and her peers on the right track, Salma Elsayed is our Scholar Athlete of the Week.
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The Spectrum News NY1 Scholar Athlete Program recognizes exceptional public high school student athletes with academic scholarship awards of $1,000 each for use towards college expenses. Nominees must be high school seniors enrolled at public high schools within the five boroughs of New York City in order to be considered.
If you are a public school coach, teacher, administrator or school counselor who would like to nominate a student athlete who excels both in the classroom and on the court, click here to fill out a nomination form.
