WEST COVINA, Calif. — Grace Hii is one of Spectrum News 1's Scholar Athlete Program scholarship recipients.

She is a student at South Hills High School in West Covina.

Hii was No. 1 in singles on her varsity tennis team this and last year. She is also the team captain and a member of the school’s track and field team.

But she doesn't only excel in athletics. Hii is part of the International Baccalaureate Organization, National Honor Society, California Scholarship Federation and Advanced Placement courses.

Her favorite course if biology. During a recent day in class, as she punched out circles from a spinach leaf, Hii explained what she loves about biology.

"I just think that it’s just so enjoyable," she said. "You can prove that you’re wrong, you can prove that you’re right."

The high school senior says she hopes to use what she’s learning in school to help others in the future. Hii says she wants to become a nurse like her parents.

“I’ve seen the way they kind of like care for people and impact people, and I want to do that in my life, too," Hii said.

And you might say Hii is already helping others and impacting girls on her campus. She noted that during her junior year, in her own process to find purpose and to feel less isolated, she got involved with more clubs. That’s what led Hii to start a new club called Women Empowerment Student Association.

Grace said she started WESA to help raise the self-esteem of girls and promote body positivity, noting that the rise of social media has really affected how some girls see themselves. With WESA, she hopes to put out positive and confidence boosting messages for her fellow female classmates.

For Valentine’s Day, Hii and WESA wrote positive messages on Post-it notes and stuck them around the mirrors in the girl’s locker room.

"In empowering other girls, I found empowerment in myself," Hii said.

Hii’s biology teacher, Lorna Houck, says Hii isn’t just in class to pass a test. She is the type of student who truly wants to learn.

“Grace is the kind of student that inspires me as a teacher," Houck said.

Houck added that Hii is also kind and giving. She had assigned the class to bring in two flowers for a science experiment, but, as Houck explained, Hii brought in bouquets of flowers to brighten up the room. Houck also pointed out that Hii is constantly baking goodies for the class.

Despite her heavy school load, Hii always seems to have a smile and is very even-keeled. But she admits her biggest struggle is "trying to balance everything." The teen hasn’t even found time to get her driver license, but says she does plan to get her driving permit this year.

With her long list of sports and extracurriculars, Hii still maintains a 4.0 GPA. She also has won numerous awards, such as a Dragon Kim Foundation Fellowship grant, for helping to create and establish what is called Project Remembrance. Hii started Project Remembrance amid the pandemic to renew and rejuvenate the immediate community of West Covina through gardening. It is dedicated to the lives lost to COVID-19.

For those reasons and more, Grace Hii was selected as a Spectrum News 1 Scholar Athlete. She will receive $1,000 scholarship for use toward college expenses.

Nominees must adhere to the following criteria to be considered:

• High school senior
• Attend a high school in Southern California, where Spectrum News 1 is available
• On at least one varsity team in their senior year
• Have an excellent academic record
• Involved in extracurricular activities and/or be active in their local community either through their school or volunteering on their own time
• Have plans to attend a university in the 2021-22 school year

Nominators must be 18 or older and can't be the parent/guardian of the student. Each nominator may only nominate one individual. You can nominate a Scholar Athlete here.