When Samantha Galanopoulos walked into the hallways of Niles West on Tuesday morning, she was excited for all that was ahead of her. Just as most students, she knew there would be ups and downs, and was slightly nervous about how everything would play out the next four years.

“I kept thinking about the big halls and how I was determined to get lost. I had the freshman fantasy of walking in with my [older] brother Matt, but it didn’t come true. Fortunately, after I saw all the upperclassmen that I was nervous to say hi to, it wasn’t as bad.”

After Galanopoulos realized that high school was a lot less scary than it sounded, her nerves went away. Immediately, she began to think about the things she was most excited about.

Unlike most freshman, Galanopoulos is a three sport athlete and has a lot of experience playing sports here at the school from summer camps and feeder teams. This got her familiar with the school, and some of her soon-to-be teammates.

“I play volleyball, basketball,and soccer, but I live and breathe basketball. If I couldn’t play, I don’t know what I would do.”

Galanopoulos feels that being a three-sport athlete helps her set a higher bar to keep her grades up. Sports allow her to balance everything in her life, and better her time management skills.

This year, Galanopoulos is expected to be a leader on the court and the field, and is hoping to be a captain for the teams. Overall, she is looking forward to starting her career here as a student athlete, and living up to her high expectations of high school.

If she could live by any words of wisdom, they would be to never give up or lose sight of what you’re passionate about, because good things will come.