Justine Brennan is Jan. scholar athlete

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WIVB) - A high school student from the southtowns is serving up a lot of success on the court and in the classroom.

This month's female scholar athlete is a standout on the court, on the field, in the classroom and even after school. From two sports to numerous clubs, Orchard Park's Justine Brennan is always playing, winning and learning.

"I love playing tennis because it's a lot different than most sports," said Justine. "It's not exactly you're out there with a bunch of other people, you're there with yourself. So you kind of get a big self-reflection and you realize a lot about yourself. It's a real mental game, which forces your to get down to business and think about your next shot."

She added, "You want to get mad at yourself in tennis, so you have to work with yourself. That's a form of teamwork. In lacrosse, you have other people with other emotions and other talents you have to work with."

Tennis coach Sandy Trampert said, "It's very easy to describe Justine as a tennis player. She goes above and beyond just her playing. She's a leader on our team. She's a high-level player. She's a motivator for the other girls on the team. She's an inspiration for the rest of them."

"As a student, what drives me is I love to learn. It's very cliche, but I absolutely love learning. Just learning new things and new ideas, so you can become more involved in politics or understanding what the grownups are talking about. I think what drives me most is becoming an enlightened member of society," beamed Justine.

Social studies teacher Amanda Quinn said, "Justine as as student is one of the top students I've ever seen. I had her as a sophomore, and she always went above and beyond. She always wanted to learn more. I think she mentioned she's a life-long learner, just likes to learn. That comes out in the classroom."

"I love academics and tennis both so much," Justine said. "Both are so rewarding, because you put in so much work to them, and you put in so much work thinking about them and studying, and studying different playbooks and the actual textbook. I think they're both so rewarding because of the work you put into them."

When she heads to college in the fall, she plans on majoring in finance. Justine's considering a number of schools, including Boston College and Villanova.