Allison Kaht is fierce on the field, but the Curtis High School senior says it took time to grow into the confident lacrosse player she is today.

"I didn't know how to hold the stick, how to throw it … how to catch it, bounce out. Like, no aim on my shot," said Allison Kaht, a senior at Curtis High School. "It was kind of, like, I had a stick and I would just run and I had no idea what I was doing, I kind of winged it the whole time."

With plenty of practice, Kaht became a breakout star, leading her team to postseason appearances every year she played.

Kaht pushes just as hard in the pool. She says she has been swimming for as long as she can remember, experience that helped the Warriors finish with a 10-0 record in her senior year.

Kaht is also quick on the court. This three-sport athlete was also named MVP and captain of the basketball team. She says she owes a lot of her success to her supportive teammates.

"When they say," said Kaht. "who you surround yourself with and who is your coach and who you are playing with makes or breaks a sport, it really does. It just made me love it so much more."

Beyond her obvious skill, it's that kind of attitude Kaht's coach says is her most valuable quality.

"She's a communicator and a leader and she's definitely responsible for helping other people kind of pick their spirits up," said Talia Sutton, the girls' basketball coach. "The energy that she always comes with in practice and in games is something I've never really seen before and it's very important for us."

This talented athlete is also a stellar student. In a class of nearly 600, Kaht is ranked in the top five. The honors student excels in her math and science courses and hopes to one day become an engineer.

"She strives for perfection. She constantly wants to learn more and more," said John Crowdell, a math teacher. "She's full of questions."

"You don't see a lot of females in the math and science field, but the ones you do," Crowdell added. "they're at the top of their class and that's exactly what you have in Allison's case."

While Kaht says her high school years have been challenging and busy, she wouldn't have had it any other way.

"These are the four years you're not going to get back," said Kaht. "You're still young, just do it all while you still can."

So for taking a shot at every opportunity, Allison Kaht is NY1's 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.