HHS student one of just 30 in Kansas named to elite academic team

Sana Cheema, 2014 Topeka Capital Journal All State Academic Team

By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post

A recent graduate of Hays High School, Sana Cheema, 18, has been chosen to join the 2014 Topeka Capital-Journal All-State Academic Team — an honor bestowed on just 30 high school seniors in Kansas.

According to HHS counselor Suellen Stenger, “Each high school in the state can nominate one student and, from those nominations, 30 students are chosen.”

Cheema said she feels honored to be named part of the team.

“I realize this is a very special award,” Cheema said, “and I get the chance to represent Hays and western Kansas.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of my teachers and parents and community support,” she added.

According to Stenger, in order to meet award criteria, the student must not only have excellent grades and college entrance exams, but also exhibit leadership skills and a passion to help others — all qualities Cheema possesses.

Cheema was co-editor of the HHS yearbook, a member of the HHS Leadership Team, the Hays High International Club, and an “avid” volunteer at Hays Medical Center.

“She is just an exceptional student,” Stenger said. “She defines the the meaning of persistence and perseverance for sure.”

Stenger said when Cheema was a freshman at Hays High School she had to return to Pakistan for visa purposes.

“(She) had to sit out for more than a year, and when she came back, she didn’t skip a beat,” Stenger said.

Cheema is humble about her achievements.

“It definitely has been hard at times because when I reached a goal, I would set another goal, so it has been an ongoing process,” she said.

Cheema is the daughter of Gulraiz Cheema and Nazish Firdous.

In her application for the award, Cheema said she receives inspiration from her parents — both doctors who moved to the United States so their daughter could have a better education.

“I want to bring change to this world and, in order to do that, I have to reach a level of credibility through hard work and perseverance,” she wrote.

Will Cheema ever stop reaching for new goals?

“I’m not sure, probably never,” she laughed.

She said she plans to follow in her parents’ footsteps and will attend the University of Kansas this fall, majoring in biology with the goal of becoming a doctor.