Spring Branch ISD Featured News

Do you remember when everyone was stuck at home on the couch or Zooming during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Current Memorial High School (MHS) senior Katerina Lowy decided to start playing tennis to alleviate her boredom during this challenging time. She discovered a passion for the sport and looked into joining the school’s team.

“I soon knew that I wanted to play varsity, not realizing that this would turn into a sport I would continue playing in college as well,” said Lowy, who plans to play tennis at Colby College in Maine next year.

Heart and Soul of the Team

Not only did Lowy improve her tennis skills during her years at MHS in Spring Branch ISD, but she also grew into a team leader.

“I didn’t realize how much setting a good example could bring together a team until around my junior year at Memorial,” Lowy said. “I became the team captain my junior year—the first junior captain since my coach began. I realized how my leadership positively affected the team.”

MHS Head Tennis Coach Brian Mandell has high praise for Lowy. “She is unequivocally the heart and soul of our team,” he said. “As our captain, she strives to make everyone around her not only better players but better people. She’s a role model for all of our younger players.”

Lowy credits her growth and personal development to the positive feedback and support from not only the tennis coach but also other coaches at MHS.

“At MHS, no matter what sport you play, all the coaches know each other and know about you,” she said. “When I walk around campus and see a football coach, they’ll say, ‘Hey Kat!’ They are all super supportive of balancing academics and athletics.”

Keeping up with her schoolwork and excelling at tennis has also instilled in Lowy the Core Characteristic of being Persistent & Adaptable.

“I know that no matter how hard life gets, I will always have the perseverance to keep going,” Lowy said. “Tennis has shown me the fight you need to have in every part of your life.”

A Second Family

One of Lowy’s fondest memories of being on the tennis team is a trip to the state tennis championship. Several members of the boys’ and girls’ teams crammed into one hotel room to watch a movie one evening. Despite the stuffy and hot conditions, it reinforced for her how her teammates had become a second family.

No Time for Boredom Now

A year from now, when Katerina heads off to Colby College to major in psychology-neuroscience, her leadership, persistence, and time management skills will certainly pave the way for success. Long term, she may consider medical school to become a psychiatrist or pursue a master’s degree for FBI profiling.

“But if none of that works… there’s always law school!” she said.