Scholar Athlete: Keira O'Shea, Bethpage High School

Bethpage High School senior Kira O'Shea is this week's winner of the News 12 Scholar Athlete Award sponsored by Four Leaf Federal Credit Union. Kira is ending the volleyball season with a bang. She had her senior night and she made the all-county team this week. She's the Eagles captain and libero. Basically, her job is to stop the ball from hitting the floor at all costs. Some nights it's easy, like this. Other nights it means a lot of bruises and floor burns. But she also likes the strategic side of it. If the set's more far out, then they're more likely going to cut it inward, so then it's going to go across. But then if the set is more tighter to the net, then they could possibly tip or hit it down the line. So it's a lot of just reading the ball and knowing where it's going to go. It's a thrill for me to watch her. I think it's also a thrill for other people, because people have come up to me and said, Gil Barrow is terrific. She throws herself all over the floor. She has no concern about her body. She just wants to get every ball she can. Kira also puts her body on the line on the Marine Fitness team that won the national championship last year. Players competed in a grueling workout of running and jumping, planking, pull-ups and sit-ups. And last year, Kira ranked third in the country. The atmosphere there, like, I went for the first time. I was like, you know what, let me just try it. And it just felt like a family. Like, everyone was so uplifting. Like, no other sport ever felt like that for me. Kira also plays basketball and check her out in flag football. She's an all county quarterback and the Eagles MVP last season. She's the senior class treasurer. She's also the Key Club president leading the Wreaths Across America event honoring veterans at local cemeteries and the Sunrise Day Camp walks helping kids with cancer and their siblings. She's also in the investing club and she's got a 96 GPA. And like all of our winners, Kira gets a $1,000 scholarship from Four Leaf Federal Credit Union. I'm Kevin Maher.