Over the years, junior Zach El Youssef has learned to appreciate the time that he is given.
“You don’t have much of it,” he said. “I’m already a junior and it feels like I’m just starting my freshman year.”
Since his two brothers attended La Salle before him, and his dad, George El Youssef, is both a football and basketball coach here, going to the school was a given, as he was already familiar with the people here.
“I love the community,” El Youssef said. “Everybody kind of knows me because of my last name.”
El Youssef looks up to his two brothers, as they’ve both had a major impact on him.
“My oldest brother is really, really smart, and my other brother, who just graduated, he’s really, really good at football,” he said. “I look up to both of them in academic and athletic aspects of my life.”
El Youssef loves playing sports for La Salle, especially when it comes to football. He also enjoys watching and supporting other sports, such as volleyball and basketball. Some of his favorite memories stem from his time on the football team, where he played on varsity as early as his freshman year.
Not only has football been a great experience for El Youssef, but it’s also helped him develop his character and build strong relationships within his community.
“It’s been really great because it’s helped me grow — not just as a student or as a player — but as a man,” he said. “The coaches are kind of like fathers to me, and my teammates are like brothers. It’s like a family.”
As senior year approaches, he is also looking forward to being a leader on the football team. “As the seniors leave and the season comes to an end for my junior year, the younger underclassmen start to look up to us,” El Youssef said. “That’s a big thing for me.”
Due to a meniscus tear, he was unable to continue playing football during his sophomore year. Next season, he hopes to get back into the sport and he is also considering participating in track and field, and hoping to compete in shot put.
In his free time, El Youssef likes to play video games with his friends, sleep, and work out.
As of now, El Youssef is still deciding if he wants to play football in college. Currently, Oregon State University is his safety school since both of his brothers are currently attending there. Additionally, he is interested in the University of North Carolina and the University of Miami.
“All three of those have really good dental programs, and that’s what I want to do,” El Youssef said.
El Youssef has been considering pursuing this career because of his uncle.
“He’s somebody that I spend a lot of time with,” he said. “[Dentistry] just seems like something that’s really interesting.”
Additionally, El Youssef is also looking forward to starting up his college applications. “I like to think more of my future and what I’m going to be doing after this,” he said.
Reflecting back on his freshman year to where he is now, El Youssef would say that he’s definitely grown a lot. At first, he was scared to make new friends, only wanting to stick with those that he already knew from middle school. However, since then, he’s stepped out of his comfort zone and met a lot of new people.
“Now, I have such a large friend group of people,” he said. “You learn to respect your relationships with other people and to grow in other relationships.”
El Youssef would advise anyone who’s just entering high school to “not to worry too much, because it’s not as bad as you think it is,” he said. “It’s definitely different than middle school or elementary school, but it’s not a drastic change.”
