Looking for an outlet to release her energy, Sophia Gu decided to try out for the High School for Dual Language and Asian Studies badminton team her freshman year.

“I gave it a shot, but I barely made it through the cut,” Gu said.

From barely making the team to reaching the city finals, Sophia credits her success to her never-quit attitude.

“I think I’m a very dedicated person, so once I get into something, I don’t want to stop until I see a result,” Gu said.

And those results speak for themselves. She was given the “PSAL Most Improvement Award” and has a 90% win record.

“So, in the beginning, she really didn’t know how to play or know the game at all. But I think her dedication and her motivation to improve really shined, and that’s what kind of made her to excel more. She’s been a really critical part of the team. And even in like really close games, when we go through the third set, she never backs down,” badminton coach Mitsuru Kukuda said.

That same determination helps her juggle a rigorous workload.

On top of taking multiple AP and college-level classes, Sophia manages the boys’ badminton team. She has also racked up more than 100 hours of community service as part of the school’s “Key Club” — all while maintaining an A average.

“I’m very proud and also lucky to have taught the students like her, you know, that made me feel motivated. It’s reciprocal feelings that when you have a student so respectful and they really love you, you just want to put the whole heart into it and teach them more,” chemistry teacher Shuyan Chen said.

Sophia is off to NYU in the fall and plans to study biochemistry or engineering and hopes to continue playing badminton. It’s her relentless work ethic — something Sophia takes great pride in — that she says will continue to carry her through this next challenge.

“I think dedication and commitment are like the two most powerful skills that have stayed with me for high school and all along this way, especially for my commitment to badminton, to all my academics, to my work, I really put a lot of time into those and somehow I got to where I am at today,” Gu said.