“Get involved.”

A line every high school student has heard about a thousand times since they chose their classes back in eighth grade. Despite the nagging from every direction, the amount of American high school students that are actually involved in extracurricular activities is shockingly low. 

Only 29% of girls and 24% of boys are consistent members of a scholastic club. 35% of high school girls play on a sports team. Of that 35%, only 34% make varsity by their senior year, let alone scoring a spot on the team as a freshman. Of all the high school students that join band, about half of them quit within their first two years of playing.

Now, imagine taking all of those finite numbers and combining them into one, a paragon of academic achievement, scholastic involvement, musical virtuosity, and athletic aptitude: Sarah Gomez.

Now beginning her senior year of high school at Niles North, Sarah Gomez continues to build an extraordinary resume for herself. She first joined school band as a French horn player in fourth grade, as soon as the curriculum was opened to students. 

Eight years into her musical career, she now plays–alongside her younger sister, sophomore Gabriela (Gaba) Gomez–for Symphonic Winds, Niles North’s highest band program, where she’s helped her ensemble break barriers in competition and performance.

“Last year, as a band, we made Superstate for the first time in 30 years. I would say that’s probably our biggest accomplishment because we worked really hard to get there,” Sarah Gomez said. 

Not only is Sarah Gomez an excellent ensemble member, but is just as outstanding as an individual, even being selected to the Honors All State Ensembles, where she has been ranked as one of the top 5 french horn players in the state.

Her school band director, Michael Moehlmann, understands her integrity and importance to the ensemble better than anyone, and he admires not only her skill, but her emotional investment in her instrument. 

“Sarah’s biggest strength as a musician is her passion. She loves playing french horn, and is consistently looking for opportunities to perform and learn,” Moehlmann said. “Sarah has an insatiable appetite for french horn and music in general. This unstoppable drive and passion for french horn will take her very far in her career.”

“I saw her practicing at home, and by the time I got to fourth grade and I had the opportunity to join band, I was already totally set on doing it because I’d been watching her for two years,” Gaba Gomez said.

Outside of school, she continues to pursue her musical passion through one of the most elite bands in the Chicago area: the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra (CYSO). This talented group of musicians have made their mark beyond just interscholastic competitions; in fact, they’ve done so beyond American borders. 

Last summer, she and her band members embarked on a 10-day tour of Spain, playing four concerts from Grenada to Valladolid. 

“It was honestly such an incredible experience,” Sarah Gomez said. “It was just amazing to take such an amazing ensemble and visit new places that I’ve never been to, and just forming connections with people that had become my best friends.”

Despite how extraordinary this experience was, the Spain tour isn’t even CYSO’s greatest accomplishment. In February of 2025, Gomez and her CYSO bandmates were given monumental news: they would be playing at Lollapalooza–one of the largest music festivals in the world–that summer.

 Gomez described a mix of emotions throughout the rigorous rehearsal process leading up to the performance. 

“I was a bit nervous,”  Gomez said. “But I think being with my friends and the entire group kind of eased my nerves, and I’ve been through a lot of performing before, too.”

After months of preparation, late nights and early mornings spent practicing, and burning determination, CYSO finally took the stage at Lollapalooza earlier this month. The experience was nothing but rewarding.

“As soon as I heard them cheering, I was just like ‘Oh my God’,” Gomez said. “Not only was it an incredible opportunity as a performer, but also as a viewer because we got to attend the festival.“We got to go backstage and hang out there, too, which was crazy because I’d never even been to Lolla before.”

It’s safe to say that CYSO’s Lollapalooza performance was no easy feat. It was the product of lots of hard work, grit, patience, persistence, and dedication. It was also, as Gomez explained, undeniably worth it, becoming a core memory for her and her fellow performers. Afterall, it’s not everyday that a teenager gets to perform on the same stage as headliners like Olivia Rodrigo, Tyler, the Creator, and Sabrina Carpenter in front of a crowd of tens of thousands of people.

“It was probably the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced,” Sarah Gomez said. “I honestly didn’t really expect that big of a crowd to be there. They were cheering for us really loudly, and there were even people I hadn’t talked to in so long posting about our performance on Instagram.”

Still, Sarah Gomez’s involvement doesn’t end there. Aside from being an accomplished musician of eight years, she’s also a dedicated swimmer of eleven years, and now a fourth-year varsity athlete. 

Sarah Gomez began to swim at six years old after her parents encouraged her to pick up the sport. She started off strong, and she only progressed from there. After earning her spot as a freshman, she is now one of Niles North Varsity Girls Swim Team’s most valuable athletes. Her main events are the 500 and 200 free, the latter even earning her a second place medal at last year’s conference, which she considers to be one of her biggest achievements as a swimmer.

Her two main dedications (band and swimming) work in harmony, going hand in hand and filling the areas where the other lacks. Together, they make Sarah Gomez’s life complete. 

“I like them for pretty similar reasons, but also for some different reasons,” Sarah Gomez said “For example: in swimming, there’s that physical aspect that I don’t get from music. When I do music, there’s an emotional aspect I don’t get from swimming, so I feel like it’s a good combination for me because I get the best of everything.”

Just as she is both a scholastic and extracurricular musician, she swims competitively for Swift Aquatics outside of Niles North. Similarly, Sarah Gomez’s swimming career has also inspired her younger sister just like her music career did. 

“I remember watching her when I was really young,” Gaba Gomez said. “My mom was telling me ‘You’re gonna be there in two years’, so I knew that was what I was going to do.” 

Now, following in her sister’s footsteps, Gaba Gomez is swimming for Swift Aquatics and beginning her second year on Niles North Girls Varsity Swim Team.

Sarah Gomez’s work ethic and determination don’t go unnoticed by those around her. You could ask anyone from her siblings to her teachers, and they would all have nothing but praise for her efforts.

“She has fostered many relationships through her excellence, dedication, and friendly nature,” said Moehlmann. “She is seen as a leader in our ensemble, and treats everyone with the same respect.  She encourages younger students to be great, and helps mentor them to be the best they can be.”

“I admire her attention to detail,” Gaba Gomez said. “In band, she’s really meticulous about how she plays, and she sets herself to a high standard… She’s also so hardworking; sometimes she’ll stay late after school for practice or to do homework… It’s a big time commitment, so it really shows how much time and effort she puts into everything.”

So next time you hear that dreaded phrase: “Get involved,” you don’t have to envision those finite numbers, those daunting statistics, the distant, imaginary portrait of a perfect student. 

In reality, you don’t have to look any further than the Niles North band room or swimming pool to find it: the paragon of academic achievement, scholastic involvement, musical virtuosity, and athletic aptitude. Sarah Gomez reminds us that “getting involved” is not just advice, but a pathway to excellence.