Zoie Segbawu, a senior at Oak Park and River Forest High School, is a student of many talents. Segbawu dreams of becoming a sports medicine physician with a special interest in rehabilitation. She hopes to make an impact on athletes and provide them with great care as they are recovering from their injuries, she said.
Segbawu attributes her aspirations to her participation in the Sports Medicine club at OPRF.
“Sports Medicine has allowed me to learn about injuries and practice skills in the Athletic Training Room,” said Segbawu. “This hands-on experience has driven my dedication to achieving my dreams of becoming a doctor in the future.”
This year, Segbawu is the president of the Sports Medicine club, or Sports Med, alongside senior Kelsey O’Brien as vice president and junior Maxine Kreiter as director of marketing. “I love being able to learn about injuries and help athletes in the process. It brings me joy to see how much I can help them,” Segbawu said.
O’Brien described Segbawu as a strong leader for the organization. “She is always super organized during the club,” O’Brien said. “The enthusiasm she brings every week makes it so exciting to see her share her passion with everyone else.”
The club, with roughly 25 members, meets every Tuesday morning in room 3301, supervised by club sponsor Regina Gunn. The members learn about skills, practice taping and hear from guest speakers. Recent examples include Melissa Schick, a paramedic, and Lieutenant Steve Ausmann, a firefighter.
However, Sports Med doesn’t stop at meetings every Tuesday morning. Students have the opportunity to shadow athletic trainers in the athletic training rooms. Student athletic training assistants (SATA) practice their taping skills on each other as well as athletes and help with rehab exercises.
In addition to Sports Med, Segbawu contributes to multiple clubs and organizations. She is a goalie and co-captain of the water polo team, a Huskie student ambassador, a Healthy Youth Peer Educator (HYPE) leader and the outreach coordinator of Black Leaders Union.
She is also a member of the Student Equity and Belonging Council, the True Colors a capella group and the Future Philanthropist Program.
“[Zoie] has undeniably been the most dedicated and helpful person I have known in relation to Sports Med. She is always working her hardest to do what is best for the club and its members,” said senior Langston Short. “I applaud her unmatched level of commitment within the Sports Med club, and appreciate how it aligns to her future career path in the medicine world.”
