The Knightly News

The person who duels it out on the tennis court, hurries around the school running Student Council events, and stays up late writing resolutions at Model United Nations conference hotels : that’ssenior Lev Gedrich.

Gedrich started playing tennis at the age of seven alongside his best friend.  His family, including his brother and grandfather, played tennis, so his initial experiences with the sport had good vibes.  Gedrich suffered an injury in high school that prevented him from pursuing tennis more competitively, but this has not dampened his spirit in the slightest.

Gedrich supports his teammates in every facet of life.  His team can turn to him for any kind of advice.  “Sometimes you need someone who you can talk to in between points, after a match, or on a long bus ride.  Lev is that guy,” said junior Kristian Dudchak, one of Gedrich’s teammates on the varsity tennis team.

Gedrich cherishes his teammates, and one of the main reasons he loves school tennis is because it is a team sport.  “Sophomore year, we spent the ENTIRE spring break together.”  Gedrich said.  “We camped out at our houses, played tennis every day, hung out at night, and generally had an amazing time.” Gedrich has achieved a lot on North’s team.  This year, he and senior Karan Rajput won the Mercer County Tournament for doubles, allowing him to compete in the state tournament.

On and off the tennis court, Gedrich is a “born leader,” according to junior Ambika Nair, who works with him on the executive board. “He motivates people to get excited for things…once he likes something, he stays dedicated to it and works his hardest on that particular thing.  You can see that in his involvement with StuCo, MUN, and tennis, all of which he is a leader of.  He has this incredible sense of focus and determination.  He knows how to prioritize and maximize his interests and time.”

MUN is another venue for Gedrich’s people-skills.  “Lev’s greatest asset is probably his ability to work well with the students and officers in the club,”  senior MUN treasurer Vishan Nigam said.  “  He has a great sense of humor too, which allows us to remain lighthearted despite the intensity of competition.”

Gedrich’s genuine care for the well-being of the school through Student Council and for other countries through Model UN holds true in his relations with others.  As a friend, according to Nair, Gedrich constantly “thinks about the interests of others before his own.”  Senior Adam Kercheval, special operations officer of EBoard and a longtime friend of Gedrich, agrees.  “Lev is an amazing person on and off of EBoard,” Kercheval said.  “He is incredibly reliable, incredibly cool under pressure, and also quite funny.”

As for college, Gedrich will attend NYU Stern with a degree in either finance or management with a $40,000 scholarship.  Gedrich hopes to someday open a business, with possible involvement in non-profits and politics.  And Gedrich definitely plans to continue playing tennis in college.  “I’ve always loved the team aspect of the sport so I’d definitely play club to meet people and have a good time,” Gedrich said.

As the season comes to a close and new students fill his shoes in various clubs and organizations, Gedrich will not be remembered as an untouchable model but as a down-to-earth and influential leader.