SYHS senior on the right ‘track’ for academics and athletics
Brooke Phelan, a senior at Santa Ynez High School has been named The Santa Ynez Valley Elks Lodge Student of the Month for October, chosen by the school’s office staff and administration.
Whether she’s on the road or track, in the classroom, or volunteering in the community, Brooke is an outstanding student-athlete whose dedication, determination, and strong sense of integrity shine through everything she does.
Brooke ranks among the top 10% of her class with a weighted GPA of 4.37. Her course load is nothing short of impressive: This year she’s enrolled in AP Literature, AP Calculus, AP Statistics, and AP Government, continuing a “track” record of academic rigor that includes Honors and AP courses in Geometry, English, Chemistry, U.S. History, and Psychology.
She’s a four-year varsity athlete in cross country and track and field, and a two-year varsity basketball player. She’s also earned the distinction of Scholar Athlete every year for maintaining a 4.0 GPA while competing, and was named a three-sport varsity athlete during both her freshman and sophomore years
Brooke and her family moved to the Valley right before COVID, after years of vacationing here. She says they instantly fell in love with how beautiful it is, that it is close to everything you need, but still peaceful and welcoming.
Her family now lives on a ranch, where they have “a ton of animals” and even make their own wine. She’s also helped harvest grapes and bot- tle wine at Rancho Luis Vine- yards since her freshman year, learning firsthand the value of hard work and teamwork.
After graduation, Brooke hopes to attend college in California — somewhere close to her family. She’s applying to UCLA, SDSU, Loyola Mary- mount, and USC, with plans to major in biology and eventually become a physical therapist. Her passion for sports, science, and helping others all point to a future where she’ll continue to make a positive impact both personally and professionally.
