{"id":2067,"date":"2023-01-20T08:36:02","date_gmt":"2023-01-20T15:36:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/?p=2067"},"modified":"2023-01-30T08:38:17","modified_gmt":"2023-01-30T15:38:17","slug":"kindness-on-and-off-the-court-catching-up-with-derek-sangster-class-of-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/2023\/01\/kindness-on-and-off-the-court-catching-up-with-derek-sangster-class-of-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Kindness On and Off the Court: Catching Up with Derek Sangster (Class of 2019)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Anne-Marie Strohman, Hillbrook Alumni parent<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Derek Sangster talks about his favorite teachers at Hillbrook, he always remarks on their kindness. \u201cMs. Okano for Kindergarten was a really nice teacher. I\u2019ll never forget her. And Ms. Wright? From third grade? I remember she was really nice.\u201d That kindness that Derek experienced in his years at Hillbrook, reinforced by the Core Value \u201cBe Kind,\u201d informs the way Derek moves through the world, as a star basketball player for Archbishop Mitty High School, and as a committed athlete for Princeton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked what Core Value resonated with him, he said, \u201cBeing kind. It\u2019s something that has really helped throughout high school and just in life in general. It goes hand in hand with \u2018treat others the way you want to be treated.\u2019 You can show a lot of respect to peers, classmates, teachers, whoever it is. Then when you’re in a time of need, they’ll be there to help you out as well.\u201d Derek loves a good challenge, and while he\u2019s a very competitive basketball player, he has the utmost respect for his teammates and opponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Derek attended Hillbrook from kindergarten through eighth grade, along with his older brother Dominic, who attended Bellarmine and now is a junior at Stanford. While Derek flourished academically–math was a favorite subject–he cites extracurricular experiences as engaging him in the most challenging ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He took on the role of Daddy Warbucks in the Class of 2019\u2019s production of Annie<\/em>, with little previous theater experience, and he acted and sang toe-to-toe with his peers. As a 7th grader, he went on the Reach Beyond trip to China and Taiwan, led by Mandarin Teacher Chen L\u01ceosh\u012b. \u201cIt was a big risk,\u201d he said. \u201cI was kind of nervous when I was leaving because I didn\u2019t know what to expect.\u201d The trip was one of the highlights of his Hillbrook career, especially staying with a host family in Shanghai. \u201cIt was such an eye-opening experience, culturally, linguistically. We stayed with a host family for three days without a phone or devices or anything. It was such an amazing experience. I wish I could go back.\u201d Both of these activities were big risks and proved to Derek that big risks can really pay off. That mindset has stayed with him, as he has challenged himself to take classes that challenge him academically and pushed himself athletically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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He also took a risk early in his sports career. From the age of ten, he played club soccer, but by seventh grade, he longed to add basketball to his athletic pursuits. He ended up playing both club soccer and basketball–which are both winter season sports–as well as leading Hillbrook\u2019s basketball team, sometimes finishing up a soccer game in the morning only to have basketball practice in the afternoon, all while keeping his grades up and prioritizing his learning. After that season, he knew he wanted to focus on basketball, and that focus has paid off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He chose to attend Mitty both because of the basketball program and the warmth and encouragement he found in the Mitty community. Asked if he felt that Hillbrook prepared him for high school, he said, \u201cHillbrook did such a good job. The small class size and having every teacher know you well made me be able to advocate for myself, to feel comfortable going up to teachers and talking about problems. That\u2019s really helped me succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He feels that the Core Value, \u201cBe Your Best,\u201d has not only served him in his athletic pursuits, but has helped him grow in academic confidence and know that he is prepared for an Ivy League education. He plans to keep taking risks and being his best as he pursues his dream to play basketball professionally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Derek is also looking forward to the next stage of his academic and athletic career where he can develop an even stronger sense of how he will fulfill Hillbrook\u2019s mission of students \u201creaching beyond themselves to make a difference in the world.\u201d His favorite class right now is AP Psychology, which he finds intriguing as he compares what he experiences mentally and physically as an athlete with what he\u2019s learning in class. He can see a future as a psychologist or a doctor, but he\u2019s leaving his options open. \u201cI feel like whatever path I choose at Princeton, it will help me make a difference in the world,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Derek is already making a difference in the world, in the way he treats his classmates, teammates, and opponents, and in the way he appreciates the many people who support his dreams. He recently came back from an injury, and he credits his parents, coaches, and trainer with helping him persevere. \u201cIf it wasn\u2019t for my parents and the person I train with,\u201d he says, \u201cmy time away from playing would have been longer.\u201d He was able to keep a positive attitude and come back as strong a player as he was before the injury. He shared, \u201cWhen I came back from my first game, I felt like I didn\u2019t skip a beat at all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The advice Derek has for current Hillbrook students is the same advice his brother Dominic gave him about how to thrive in college: \u201cSleep. Prioritize the little things that really add up to make a big difference, like getting sleep and finding ways to take care of your body mentally and physically, especially if you\u2019re choosing athletics as your path.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He has another piece of advice as well that harks back to what he learned at Hillbrook. \u201cHave a positive growth mindset, especially when times are tough,\u201d he says, \u201cand use your support system, like parents, friends, extended family. Those are the people who will help you get through the toughest times.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Anne-Marie Strohman, Hillbrook Alumni parent When Derek Sangster talks about his favorite teachers at Hillbrook, he always remarks on their kindness. \u201cMs. Okano for …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2076,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","content-type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[163,143,202],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-core-values","category-the-hillbrook-quarterly"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/derek-sangster-profile-header.png?fit=1224%2C576","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2067"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2104,"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2067\/revisions\/2104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}