When it comes to school, Nilaa Ponnappan doesn’t take academics or athletics for granted.
“I really value education because that’s what my grandfather came here for,” said Ponnappan, a Camden Catholic junior cross country runner whose grandfather emigrated from India to pursue an education. “In India, my family was the lowest class, like the farming class. My grandfather didn’t want that life, so he came here and got his PhD. He’s the only one in my family to get one. There were a lot of sacrifices made for him to get here, so I take school more seriously than I do sports. That’s most important to me.”
It doesn’t take a farmer to know the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Ponnappan, a Moorestown resident, is a member of Camden Catholic High School’s National Honors Society. She also partakes in her school’s Asian American Pacific Islander Club, where she learns about other cultures as well as her own heritage.
“It’s really awesome, because even though I spend so much time exercising, I really love to learn,” Ponnappan said.
Sometimes she’s doing both. Ponnappan placed sixth out of 209 female high school junior runners at the Cross Country Cherokee Challenge on Sept. 9 in a time of 12:20.50 on the two-mile course. Ponnappan said she worked hard on her conditioning in the months leading up to the race. She also studied the course to make sure there were no mental lapses.
“Last year, I panicked because I almost went the wrong way,” Ponnappan said. “But this year, that didn’t happen. “It was hot, but I felt way better and I spent a lot of time this summer working on my form. I was really proud I was able to finish, and finish feeling good.”
Ponnappan is a member of Camden Catholic’s track and field team in the spring and competes individually in tennis in year-round tournaments.
“Camden Catholic doesn’t have a tennis team, so I just play by myself,” she said. “I’m still in juniors, 18-and-under, so I have to find the tournaments myself and register. And to play in tournaments, you need ranking points, so you have to keep playing to get in higher level tournaments.”
It seems like a lot, but Ponnappan manages her time wisely.
“In this race, I just had more expectations to do better. I just wanted to keep going and try to grit it out and not let my mind get in the way of my heart. The less you think, the better you do,” she said.
Ponnappan is hoping the Cherokee Challenge is only the start of a great year of running and an even better year in the classroom. She’s currently undecided on a college, but she’s simply taking her junior year in stride.
“I was leaning toward medicine,” she said. “Both of my parents are doctors, but honestly I’m just focusing on running right now. If I can get into a great institution, that’s first. And if I can run or play tennis at that institution, that would be lovely. But for me, education comes first.”
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