GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (GRPS) - Nya Neal's day can include biology, physics, golf, research, Michigan Youth in Government, yearbook, STEM education, and a shift at Panera Bread.
For the City High Middle School senior, that's a typical weekday.
Neal leaves home around 7 a.m. for school, where she has built an ambitious academic schedule through the International Baccalaureate Programme. She carries a 4.33 GPA and has chosen a double-science path, giving up an elective to take both biology and physics this semester.
Her sights are set well beyond high school: Neal wants to become a biomedical engineer and is considering an MD/Ph.D. focused on tissue engineering and regeneration.
In preparation, she is already getting research experience. After meeting a professor at a research conference, Neal was invited to work with students and a chemistry professor at Kalamazoo College. Her project involves creating new compounds and testing whether they can be effective against different types of bacteria.
This fall, she will present her research at Kalamazoo College and later at the Van Andel Institute.
Then, after a full day of academics and extracurriculars, there's golf.
Neal practices at Indian Trails for two hours every Monday through Thursday during the season, while tournaments and jamborees can occupy entire afternoons and sometimes Saturdays. She also works at Panera Bread on weekends and occasionally during the week.
Golf has been part of her life since childhood. Neal grew up playing with her dad and grandfather, who would take her to Indian Trails.
Now she is competing at the same course where she first learned the game.
Managing her schedule has become a skill of its own.
Neal is involved in Michigan Youth in Government, yearbook, and STEMsters, where she serves as the club’s treasurer and helps teach elementary students about STEM. She has learned to use free moments during the school day and squeeze in homework between her many extracurricular activities to ensure she stays on top of her schoolwork.
The hardest part, she said, can be making time for herself.
“Prioritizing myself and my mental health, times with friends, and other social activities can be hard sometimes,” Neal said.
That balance has become especially important during her senior year. She wants to keep her grades up and continue competing, but she also wants to experience the parts of senior year that don't appear on a résumé.
Being surrounded by other City students on the golf team helps. Her teammates understand the demands of the IB schedule and what it means to move from class to practice to the next commitment.
For Neal, being a student-athlete isn't about choosing between academics and athletics. It's about managing her calendar in a way that makes it all happen.
Some days, that means research. Some days, it's golf. Others involve work or community activities.
And somewhere in between, she is trying to leave enough room to simply be a senior.