Senior Navya Samuel walks into the vast convention center, greeted by the sight of hundreds of girls clad in volleyball jerseys. Scattered across the many volleyball courts, skilled players spike balls aggressively. Her heart thunders in her ears with fear and anticipation for her chance to play. She looks around at the team of girls that she’s bonded with over the season and revels in the fact that they are here, together, among these amazing players.

This is the scene Navya reminisces about when she thinks of her experiences playing volleyball — the time she reached nationals with her team from Vision Volleyball Club in frosh year.

Navya started playing club volleyball in fifth grade and has continued since, alongside joining the school varsity team in high school. She takes inspiration from the determination of her teammates, finding comfort in self-improvement.

“All the girls are trying to work hard, do more reps and be better as a player,” Navya said. “That pushes you to study harder. It’s a more positive competition as compared to the academic competitiveness of the school. It’s my de-stress.”

Navya also appreciates the sport for its team-building nature in stressful academic times. She uses volleyball as a method to help herself unwind.

“Playing with people is super fun,” Navya said. “You spend so much time with these girls — you get close with them, you know them. It’s like a family. We’re not trying to outdo one another because of academics. In volleyball, everyone is working towards the same goal and everyone’s trying to help each other.”

Close friend and varsity girls volleyball team captain senior Norah Mehanna played volleyball with Navya since sixth grade through club and varsity. The two bonded as the only two frosh on the high school team, helping each other through the new experience. Norah values Navya’s welcoming personality.

“She’s a really good friend, and she is always there for me,” Norah said. “She gives everything that she has everyday at practice and she works really well with the team. She supports everyone.”

Close friend senior Shruti Srinivasan admires Navya’s calm attitude. She appreciates how Navya brings people together through her positive attitude. 

“She’s easy to talk to,” Shruti said. “She’s one of the most light-hearted people I know, and she’s never going to judge you for what you tell her. I don’t feel stressed around her, and it’s good to have that type of friend.”

Navya brings that same buoyant spirit to her work as the co-vice president for Medical Club. She enjoys planning new initiatives for the club, like broadening their reach for different events like Evening of Medicine, using a growth mindset. 

“Working with Medical Club, working with people in general, taught me to problem-solve really well,” Navya said. “We all have these goals for Medical Club. We all want to do the best thing, but sometimes things are just not a possibility. I like to think, ‘let’s work on all these things and be ok with some things not working out how I wanted them to.’”

English teacher Brigid Miller recalls Navya organizing the students into groups to help facilitate a discussion in her class. She admires Navya’s leadership and dedication.

“She was emotionally attached to a lot of the literature and then wanted to talk more about it, which is fantastic because then it gets other people thinking that way,” Miller said. “Because she’s open and honest and earnest, other people feel that way too.”

Throughout both medicine and volleyball, Navya finds that the common factor are the teams that she helps lead. She relishes the bonds she forms with teammates through her work, whether she’s spiking a volleyball or organizing a dissection event for Medical Club.

“With volleyball and Medical Club, I love working with people,” Navya said. “I get to work with people who aren’t necessarily in my classes or aren’t my friends specifically, but we get to work hard and work together towards a common goal. That collaboration aspect is really important to me.”