Spiking a volleyball and doing her part to help save the planet is all in a days work for one high school senior, and that is why she is the Healthlplus/NY1 Scholar Athlete of the week.
NY1's Michelle Yu filed the following report.

Ruth Chun has the right approach when it comes to her schoolwork and saving the environment.

The senior at the High School of Environmental Studies maps out her day juggling academics, extracurricular activities, and her time on the volleyball court.

“I look at all the things I have to do first. I also work so I really have to put in everything together and mush them up,” said Chun. “I try to manage it by having everything periodically planned out.”

“She takes on so much,” said Chun’s college counselor, Jonathan Henkel. “She's so involved and packs her schedule to the brim in a way that nobody really could.”

Taking care of the environment is what the teenager takes the most pride in. She says working with other students to save the planet has opened doors for her to meet new people and become more social.

“That builds up your leadership and your social life,” said Chun. “If you don't really join many extracurricular activities, people don't know each other and you'll feel kind of out there in school.”

Chun has traveled all around the globe with her youth group called Youth Can to help save the environment. She says she enjoys learning about different cultures and is hoping to major in East Asian Studies when she heads to St. John's University in the fall.

“Ever since I was little, I have had this great big passion about the Asian culture and I want to be fluent in the main three Asian languages which are Japanese, Chinese and Korean,” she said. “And I want to be a translator and help people who really need translating.”

For now, Chun is trilingual; she speaks English, Korean, and Spanish. Her volleyball coach says that her great communication skills added a positive component to the school's team.

“She carried herself as a captain and devoted so much time and effort to the team,” said Coach Paul DeJesus. “If I could have 12 more girls just like her, it would be an absolute pleasure. She's just unbelievable to have.”

The dedication that Chun puts forth daily is evident in the classroom as well.

“She's creative,” said her teacher Shane Updike. “She's always doing things that her other classmates wouldn't necessarily think to do. She shares ideas that normally some students wouldn't have.”

“I guess me helping out will influence others around me and that will help them help the community and that will bring more people, and so on and so forth,” said Chun.

So for being so eco-friendly and having the passion to devote to others, Ruth Chun is the Healthplus/NY1 Scholar Athlete of the Week.

-Michelle Yu

The Health Plus/NY1 Scholar Athlete program celebrates student athletes who successfully combine academics with athletics, and also find time for community service. The program, operated in conjunction with the New York City Department of Education, is open to any senior attending a New York City public high school. Selected students receive a $2,000 scholarship to the school they choose to attend in the fall.

To apply, download and print out the official Scholar Athlete application, then mail it to the address on the form.