This week's Scholar Athlete is a competitive swimmer making a splash in the classroom and in the pool. NY1's Anthony Pascale filed the following report.

Mazen Abu Ghazaleh may be making waves now, but it wasn't until high school that he really got comfortable in the pool.

"I thought I was a good swimmer until I came here and learned how to actually swim, and I was gravely mistaken," he said.

Abu Ghazaleh is the captain of the Grover Cleveland High School swim team. He practices at least two hours a day and even joined a club team outside of school to improve his skills.

Abu Ghazaleh said the sport has paved the way to many different opportunities. He's a lifeguard and a volunteer swim instructor for young children. 

"They would go in and not even know how to swim, and by the end of the program, they were swimming full laps and going back and forth," he said. "It was just a good feeling knowing that you were able to help someone."

The senior star athlete said it's not just his time in the pool that keeps him in shape. His diet also plays a big role. 

"I try my hardest to eat clean because that's the most important thing," he said. "A good body is made in the kitchen, not in the gym. If you keep eating deep fried foods and all these things, you feel it in your body, it's not the best feeling. I know how it is. I used to do it."

When not in the pool, Abu Ghazaleh is busy studying for his many advanced placement courses. His teachers and coaches said despite his demanding schedule, he has no problem staying afloat in the classroom. 

"He is a great role model," said swim coach Chris Sullivan. "He's a great leader for the kids that are younger."

"He's a natural leader for his senior class," said English teacher Robert Warner. "He's someone that I think other people look up to, in that he's a well-rounded student."

Abu Ghazaleh plans to study civil engineering in college. He said though it may be difficult, he's ready.

"I just try to do everyting my hardest, to the best of my ability," he said. "Like my parents said, give 110 percent of everything you have, and everywhere and everything will fall into its place the way it's supposed to.

So, for diving head first into the pool and his studies, Mazen Abu Ghazaleh is the latest Ford Lincoln of Queens NY1 Scholar Athlete of the Week.