Jessica Zino is a sophomore at Mill Creek High School. Zino is on the Mill Creek JV girls soccer team and in the Epic.

Zino says, “Freshman year I started off very shy, I wouldn’t have any confidence in myself. Over time, I became a leader and my confidence grew.” This past season, Zino was voted captain for the JV team before their first game in February 2022.

Zino explains, “Leadership on the field is trying to get all your teammates in the right spots, while communicating in a positive way, you can’t just yell at them.”

Through her experience thus far on the soccer team, she provides advice to incoming students, “Keep working at it and try not to be too shy and step out of your comfort zone.”

She has had to make adjustments in her life to balance her extracurricular activities, “It was very difficult at first, but over time I learned how to time manage and not to procrastinate.”

While off of the soccer field, Zino thrives in Mill Creek’s Epic program, “I joined Epic because I thought it was a cool program. I’m very interested in science, technology, and the engineering side of it.” With the school year ending, Zino said that her favorite project from this year was, “In My Genes,” which was a project based on how students could help solve a need in the daily life for someone with a genetic disorder.

Zino explains, “My group programmed an eye tracker to help people with Down Syndrome communicate better.”

For rising Epic students Zino says, “Always be on top of your work and be on your teachers’ good sides. It is important to be involved and to be proud of your work. Don’t be afraid to ask for help because they’ll help you if you need it. My number one thing would be to learn how to manage your time.”

Zino gives credit to her parents and her sister as her key motivators, “They just want me to be the best I can be. My sister always encourages me even though we argue every once in a while, she still pushes me to be better.”