Scholar Athlete Of The Week: Aaniyah Simmons

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — It can take a lot to be a good student. It takes even more to be a leader beyond the classroom. That’s just what Aaniyah Simmons is.

"I kind of grew in my leadership and elementary," Simmons said. "Then from middle school, I just kind of kept evolving into how can I make this world a better place, especially for my peers."

That’s work that hasn’t gone unnoticed. Simmons has a laundry list of awards that honor her devotion to helping others. And, as a National Honor Society member with a 4.21 GPA, it’s part of a larger goal.

"Being at World of Inquiry for so long, it’s ingrained in me to be curious about the world around me," she said.

Part of that world is sports, where she captains the Varsity tennis team. Simmons can distill the game down to one thing in particular.

"It’s like one of the best feelings in the world when, you know, you’ve done like a great satisfying hit that your opponent can’t hit return back," Simmons added.

"Even as you evolve as a tennis player, you kind of learn more about yourself and in a lot of regards, you can apply that to your general life," she said. "And I think I do that a lot in the classroom."

She’s learned a lot about herself and we’ve learned a lot about her. Congrats to Word of Inquiry’s Aaniyah Simmons on being this week’s News10NBC Scholar-Athlete of the Week.