
By Michelle Manchir
Chicago Tribune
Sam Collins said he’s had to make
sacrifices between soccer and track practice and putting in enough study
time to maintain a GPA that puts him at the top of his class of 517 at
Hononegah Community High School in Rockton.
But while he may take a pass on watching TV or attending
the occasional social gathering to get it all in, there’s one thing he
won’t negotiate on: a good night’s sleep.
Even on days when he practices for two sports and must
tackle multiple homework assignments, Collins, 17, said he makes sure
he’s in bed by 11 p.m. most nights so he can get in a full eight hours
before class the next day.
“The most important thing was just having good
time-management skills,” he said, adding that he uses his smartphone to
keep track of his schedule.
On top of a weighted GPA of 4.927 that far exceeds the
school’s 4.0 scale and a perfect 36 score on the ACT, which he took as a
sophomore, Collins held captain positions on the soccer and track
teams. He trained for soccer in the fall simultaneously with cross
country. And he has qualified for numerous statewide math competitions.
“He’s got a great deal of self-discipline,” said Collins’
guidance counselor, Dave Gonet. “He’s very locked in. When you’re
giving him an instruction or information and when he says … he gets it —
you know he’s got it.”
Collins will head to Notre Dame in the fall. He hopes to
pursue a career that will allow him to follow his interests in math and
science, he said.
Gonet said Collins’ tenacity makes him capable of accomplishing whatever he sets out to do.
“He’ll be on the news someday, in a good way,” Gonet said.
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