teen spotlight
stats
Senior, St. James; 17 years old
notable
• Qualified for the National Debate Tournament as a novice
• Attended boarding school in India from 6th-9th grade; returned
for high school opportunities in United States.
quotable
“I see how my cousins [all currently in med school] approach their
schooling and it makes me want to be better. It’s pushed me to
want to be successful.”
his story
Senior Sahil Patel joined the debate team at St. James after a
successful first year on the team at his old school, which was
slightly different than St. James, mainly because it was a boarding
school in India. “I decided to try debate at my boarding school in
India and won the mini-tournament there, so when I came back
to Alabama in 10th grade, I joined the team here,” Sahil said. His
main reason for returning was to be with his family and apply to
U.S. colleges.
That same year, while in 10th grade, Sahil experienced one of his
proudest moments. He attended the district competition for speech
and debate and qualified for nationals as a novice. “That was one of
the happiest times of my life,” he said.
josef jackson
working for a better world
Sahil hopes to attend medical school at the University of Alabama
at Birmingham or University of South Alabama and to become a
cardiologist.
PG (parental guidance) rating
“My parents help motivate me and make sure I’m on top of
things. When I’m trying to achieve a goal and start to get lazy or
procrastinate, they’ll make it noticeable to me. They’re like my
alarm that keeps going off and reminding me.”
sahil patel
parents’ perspective
Mukesh and Sunita Patel wouldn’t have a problem convincing anyone how amazing Sahil is
simply based on the awards and honors he’s
received over the years. But that’s not what
they’re most proud of. “He comes home with
trophies and awards, but I’m more proud of
the person he’s become,” Sunita said.
His father Mukesh says it’s evident that
people look up to him as well, two people
in particular—his 10-year-old twin brothers. As a stay-at-home mom, Sunita could take the twins
to school, but Sahil chooses to wake up a half-hour early every
morning just so he can take them. “Sahil could tell his little brothers the sky is green and the grass is blue, and they’d believe it,”
Sunita joked. “But what we tell them holds true, that when given a
chance to influence someone, you can have a positive or negative
impact, so which one will it be?”
26
parent to parent
Mukesh and Sunita note the importance of helping your kids stay
focused and encouraging them to work hard.
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