I first saw Sam Yoon, the student body president of Loyola High (class of 2022), on my first day of freshman orientation. It was my first time being on campus and I was extremely nervous. During the orientation, Sam gave us a speech about his experience at Loyola and shared all the opportunities we can take advantage of as Cubs. It was amazing how he could be so well-spoken; he had a gravitating charisma where everyone paid attention to him.
Later, I learned that Sam was the captain of the football team. He was also the Angelus League's Most Valuable Lineman and with a 4.6 GPA was awarded the 2022 National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete of the Year. Sam was the big man on campus- popular, smart and a likable guy. As Cubs, everyone loved him and looked up to him. Sam became a role model to me. He had no idea who I was but every time I saw him on campus, I was inspired to be more like him. Watching the varsity games on Friday nights, I remember cheering for him and even chanting ‘Yoon’ on the stands with my friends.
One of the best memories I have of Sam was getting to witness his signing day experience. During our morning weight lifting, along with other football players, I stood in the gym to watch our Senior athletes announce their commitments to colleges. Sam had many offers from fourteen great schools - including Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, USC but ultimately committed to UCLA. Schools that people dream of getting accepted into and he had offers from them all. That got me wondering: what does it take to be like Sam?
Being a shy, quiet person, I did not have many personal encounters with Sam. However, the few times he said ‘Hi’ to me was exciting. When I first started to brainstorm Varsity Grit, Sam was the first person to come to mind. I did not have anything set up and had no prior experience interviewing someone, but I knew he was someone I wanted to interview. I was hesitant to reach out to him at first but he graciously said he would be happy to help me out. The days leading up to the interview, I was so nervous. I spent more time being nervous about my meet and greet with Sam that I dropped the ball on the interview. When the day came, we ended up doing it via zoom and I had invited a friend. We thought we were ready but as soon as we pressed record on zoom, we went blank. Sam was very patient and understanding. I felt so horrible; Sam has had many professional interviews and I felt as though I was just wasting his time. He later told me that he was proud of my initiative to start Varsity Grit. Even though my interview with Sam Yoon didn't go as planned the first time, I hope that one day I get to interview him again as a more experienced person.
Thank you Sam for sharing your time with me and I wish you all the best.
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