Seizing the die

In life, everybody is cast a die that determines one’s outcome in life. One local student from Sacred Heart High School seized the die he has been cast and parlayed that into becoming the 12th Grade Student of the Year for the school as well as the Diocese of Lafayette.
“I’m very honored and humbled to receive such an award,” said Sam Gil. “It really does mean a lot that all the work people do around here gets noticed.”
As Gil explained, the process of being selected as Student of the Year is different at every school of the diocese. In his case, though, “to become the Student of the Year at Sacred Heart you must be nominated by the teachers,” he said. “Then, from that point, you can apply.”
“We had to give a biographical sketch which included a life story and three major things that influenced our lives,” he continued. “Then, we made a resume based on leadership, community service, and awards. You submit that to the school, and the school has a committee. From there, they choose their Student of the Year.”
After Gil was chosen as the school’s Student of the Year, he went on to compete on the diocesan level.
“At that point,” he said, “we make a large portfolio filled with photos, transcripts, test scores, an essay, and a resume, and it goes to the diocesan level. There are nine high schools competing. Our superintendent picks three students to be interviewed. From there, she’ll pick the winner to represent the diocese on the regional level in Baton Rouge.”
For Gil, being chosen as the diocese’s Student of the Year from a small school like Sacred Heart is a humbling experience.
“It is definitely humbling to go against those bigger schools because they have a lot more opportunities and bigger and better things than we offer here,” he expressed. “Sacred Heart does offer so many things, but we are pretty much capped on what all we can do at this point.”
He continued, “It goes to show you that people see things between the lines. It’s not all about the school that has the highest scores or the person who has the best GPA. They do a really good job as a wholistic review of the person instead of just pinpointing something like this person has gone to Haiti every year to be an advocate. I think they do a good job of parcing those things and really putting everyone on a level playing field.”
At Sacred Heart, Gil is actively involved in a number of clubs and organizations such as 4-H and Future Business Leaders of America where he holds state offices.
He also has been singing in the Sacred Heart choir since 3rd grade. He, now, sings at the high school Mass on Fridays and at the 4 p.m Mass on Saturdays and 8 a.m. Mass on Sundays at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Chataignier. He can also be found at times in the Sacred Heart choir loft with Christian Miller on Sundays at 5 p.m.
To make room to focus on all these endeavors, Gil had to make the uneasy decision to quit the Sacred Heart football team.
“In order for me to truly grow in the other clubs I was truly passionate about, I knew football was not my ultimate stopping point,” he stated. “I had to really decide who I wanted to be. I knew I wanted to be more academically oriented and more service oriented. That’s why I gave up football to pursue FBLA. I was able then to hold state office and devote more time to the church. It was all about time.”
“Football is a very devouring sport,” he continued. “It takes a lot of dedication, and I felt better suited to give that time to other extracurricular activites.”
After graduation in May, Gil will pursue a degree in electrical and computer engineering from McNeese State University. He plans to find a church in Lake Charles where he can continue worshipping the Lord through song.
He concluded, “I enjoy what I do, and, as long as I can do it, I’m going to keep doing it.”