Oswego East Student Athlete of the Week: Jessica Mandel

Jessica Mandel-Senior

Activities/Sports: Competitive Dance, Wind Symphony, Pop Band, Tri M Society Member, National Honors Society, National English Society, Student Ambassador

               To call Oswego East senior Jessica Mandel multi-talented would be a perfect assessment.  To say she's involved would be an understatement.

               Jessica is a senior and the first student-athlete highlighted in our weekly blog.  As a captain of the competitive dance team she is responsible, along with the rest of the captains, for choreographing routines for competition.  The dance team's first competitive IHSA dance took place at Stagg High School, and Jessica helped lead her team to a 2nd place finish.  Her coach, Mrs. Tiffani Morelli, said, "Jessica is a great leader and has really grown into her role. Her teammates look to her for advice and I can always count on her as a coach to be on top of things. She is one of the most organized people I know, and truly puts her whole heart into the team."When asked about her goals for the season Jessica said, "I want to be a positive captain and I want our team to make it to the IHSA state finals at the end of January."  She obviously has her sights set high for a successful season, and her goals speak volumes of her as a captain and team player.

               These accolades would be enough of a resume builder for most student-athletes, but this is the tip of the iceberg for Jessica.  She is also the top oboe chair in wind symphony and a member of the Tri M Music Society (recognizes student musicians for their talent, drive, scholarship, service & leadership), as well as a member of the pop band.  "Music is [my] passion," says Jessica, "and something I want to major in at college and become a career.  It's something I am talented at and it can be an escape for me as well." Mr. Peter Barsch, Tri-M Music Honor Society Advisor, says, "She's very driven and professional. She expects a ton from herself and meets those goals. She's unfailingly polite and is a pleasure to work with."  Jessica's band director, Mrs. Kelly O'Neill, echoes those statements in saying," Jessica is a friendly, humble, hardworking, and talented student. She is gifted as a musician as well as a student."  Mrs. O'Neill goes on to say that, as far as Jessica's future in music "Jessica's biggest strength is her willingness to learn. Jessica is very humble, and she is always open to accepting guidance on her playing abilities. This type of approach to learning will truly benefit her in college and beyond. I know she has a bright future ahead of her in music."

               Again, these only serve as part of Jessica's hectic schedule.  She is currently enrolled in 3 AP courses (English literature and composition, psychology, and music theory), as well as challenging classes such as honors pre-calculus, advanced dance, and directed music study.  She carries a 4.3 G.P.A on a 4.0 scale, is ranked 11 out of 476 in her class, and has earned a 29 on her ACT.  Her future plans include becoming a music education major at either University of Illinois or University of Michigan (this writer tried steering her to the latter).

               Jessica serves as the Oswego East model for excellence, academics, spirit, and tradition.  As an encouragement to current and future wolves, her advice is to, "Make the most out of your high school career.  Meet new people and find something you like to do that will help set you up for your future."