Aren’t you really happy your parents didn’t put you in learning programs when you were six or seven years old? Yeah, people actually go to those. “People” as in junior Hope Cherian. Before Kindergarten even started, Cherian was sitting down at a desk doing her take home worksheets for Kumon, a tutoring program that specializes in mathematics.

“It’s the perfect way to make your kids hate you,” Cherian said. “But I wouldn’t be where I am today without Kumon.”

Well where is Cherian now, you ask? She is in the most crucial year of high school: junior year. She’s taking Great American Writers, A.P. U.S history, A.P. physics, A.P. calculus, Honors Spanish 4, and Math Modeling.  She also plays softball as competitively as she is in class.

“I’m not an Indian dancer; I’m an Indian athlete,” Cherian said.

You’ll see her playing for our Niles West varsity softball team this year. Maybe you already have – she’s been a starter since her sophomore year.

So how do teenagers like Cherian – with a challenging school schedule and high expectations on the field – do it? Cherian gives lots of the credit to her parents. They gave her the head start at Kumon but they also didn’t just focus on academics, they put her in a sport early on. But what about her social life?

“In middle school, we used to FaceTime for hours on end on our new iPods until our parents yelled at us and made us hang up. Cherian has been there with me for everything,” longtime friend Allison Fair said.

Cherian is a girl on the move, always doing something productive. It’s been drilled into her since she was young and it has payed off. She’s found her balance while still being a great friend.

“She’s always looking to help others in need even if it doesn’t benefit her in any way, “ Fair said.