by: Britt Melinauskas
National/World Editor

Tenacious and driven junior Silvia Miletich takes on all endeavors in her third year at LGHS with extracurricular pursuits, academic excellence, and athletic accomplishments.

After moving to Los Gatos in the summer before eighth grade, Miletich became involved in all aspects of leadership, embracing opportunities to voice her concerns for change and support others. Within LGHS, she serves as co-president of the National Spanish Honors Society (NSHS) and initially became drawn to the culture. As she claimed: “Growing up in Los Angeles, a lot of my friends growing up had Spanish-speaking parents, and I lived in that environment. So, I was able to pick up Spanish pretty quickly and had a good understanding.” Specifically, Miletich enjoys that she can align her position in the club to work with volunteering opportunities such as the House of Hope and the Sunday Friends Foundation. Furthermore, she is the vice president of the Cats Who Care club, a group that focuses on supporting children with disabilities and mental health challenges. With the club, she assists in planning projects for volunteering and creating opportunities that positively impact both the students involved and the individuals they serve. Her contributions extend beyond the LGHS community, as Miletich has been part of the National Charity League (NCL) since seventh grade, engaging in numerous volunteering positions to better herself and the people around her.

This year, Miletich has immersed herself in AP Calculus AB, AP US History, AP Language, AP Biology, Spanish 4 Honors, and Associated Student Body (ASB). In ASB, Miletich is the vice president of the junior class, organizing events such as kindness week fundraisers and junior prom. In addition to her courses paralleling her involvement in cultural aspects and leadership positions, it highlights a future career path for her in the medical field. Over the summer, Miletich volunteered at Los Gatos Orthopedic Sports Therapy after she injured a part of her back and wanted to learn more about the aspects of physical therapy. She worked with student-athletes at San Jose State, pre-professional athletes, older individuals, children with disabilities, and directly shadowed the staff. Miletich explained how the experience was extremely informative, furthering her understanding of different parts of the body and what exercises treat certain issues. At the same time, the opportunity opened her view of a future major that pursues patient interaction within medicine.

Currently in her second year with the Mountain View Volleyball Club, Miletich competes as a middle blocker, continuing to build on her experience after two years with Vision Volleyball Club. She began her volleyball career playing beach volleyball in Los Angeles before transitioning to indoor competition. At LGHS, she has been a member of the varsity volleyball team since her freshman year, one of only two freshmen to earn that spot.

Miletich’s ambition radiates in everything she accomplishes, and there is no doubt she will continue to thrive in all of her future endeavors.