When she hits the floor, there is only one thing on Keira Lau’s mind: sticking the landing.

Lau is a senior at Tottenville High School and has been on the gymnastics team since her freshman year, but she first started practicing the sport at 6 years old.  

The floor is her favorite event.  

Lau said the sport requires just as much mental strength as it does physical.  

“I have a lot of power and I really like tumbling. It's easier for me to do than other events. A lot of it is very mental. You can have the strength to do a skill, but mentally you may not be able to, so you really have to break through that,” said Lau.

As co-captain, Lau led the team to a P.S.A.L. championship win during her final season.  

“She was a major player on our team,” said Mary Casale, the Tottenville High School gymnastics coach. “She was definitely in the top three in the city, and she exalts this personality of friendship, kindness, and on top of that, hard work and determination, which is to me, it's like my secret bombshell that she went out there and she always pulled through for me in the competition.”

Lau equates the sport to her school work; She studies for gymnastics the same way she does for classes.  

“When you're doing a skill you don't want to just go into it because there's a possible risk for injury and it could be really dangerous. If you're in school and you're preparing for a test, if you don't study, you can fail. And in gymnastics, you could get hurt,” said Lau.

The honors student has a more than 100% grade point average.

She’s also an accomplished ice skater and piano player.

On top of all of that, Lau finds time to work as a medical assistant at a Chinatown cardiology office, preparing her for the next chapter.

“It makes me feel good knowing that I'm doing something that could help them in the long term and they could live longer, healthier lives,” said Lau.

Inspired by her mom, Lau plans to study nursing at Rutgers University in the fall.

And while she will miss the camaraderie of the gymnastics team, the skills she gained on the mat, the beam, and the bars will follow her for life.