Anyone walking the hallways of Piper High School in Sunrise might not notice Samantha Sterghos.
She doesn’t stand out, unless you know her.
“In my seven years here, I can count on one hand students who are anywhere near the caliber of Samantha,” said Brenda Sterling, Samantha’s AP English teacher. “She’s the type of student who isn’t just concerned about the end result, the grade, she truly wants to learn and be better.”
Simply put, Samantha is the best at her school, a senior who has earned straight A’s since freshman year with a schedule which includes 12 AP classes and some dual enrollment college courses as well. She is the likely valedictorian.
“I feel a really strong sense of accomplishment knowing that I was able to do that,” Samantha says.
But wait, there’s more!
There’s a lot more to Samantha than perfect grades. She is the president of Piper’s Impact service club, she’s been captain of the swim team all four years, and she works after school as a swimming instructor, often teaching autistic and disabled kids to not fear the water.
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“They have a harder time understanding things, having that patience and willing to work with them, it’s worth it,” Samantha explained. “Community service is something that I really find important to be able to do and inspire others to do as well.”
So her teacher calls Samantha one of a kind, what do you think her friends call her? You guessed it: a role model.
“I think she’s a role model because I look up to her sometimes because she’s juggled so many things with work, academics,” said fellow senior, Deasia St. Vil. “I’m very much appreciative that I have her as my friend and people should look up to her.”
“If you need something you can always count on her, she’s always there and she’s reliable, she’s responsible,” added classmate Savannah Grand.
So she’s brilliant and compassionate, the kid others turn to for help, which sounds like all the ingredients necessary to achieve her career goal.
“I’ve always wanted to become a doctor, but after having family members that have had cancer, my mom had breast cancer, my grandfather had colon cancer, and seeing their fight, and seeing what doctors have been able to do for them made me want to do the same for others,” Samantha said.
Samantha credits her teachers with pushing her to take the toughest classes and to succeed in them.
So it’s like a principle of physics, they pushed, and now she’s got unstoppable momentum. Samantha is on her way.
