Before he could even tie his shoelaces, Coppell High School senior Manav Kapadia stepped onto the soccer field. From the tender age of 3, he kicked his first ball, igniting a passion that would shape his life in ways he could not picture. 

As the former captain of the Coppell FC soccer team and Coppell boys soccer team’s left-back defender, Kapadia’s journey on the pitch has had a multitude of experiences. 

“Honestly, I can’t say enough great things about Manav, because he’s always doing what he’s supposed to do, always on time and communicates effectively, which are qualities that you can’t ask enough from your players from a coach’s perspective,” Coppell soccer coach Stephen Morris said. “He is very academically driven, but he also brings those critical thinking skills and that determination to the soccer field. I always tell my players that as long as they’re being smart on the field, they will succeed.”

Kapadia manages to allocate 15-20 hours per week to soccer, playing an average of two matches per week. His advice to any aspiring soccer player is simple yet effective, focusing on only controlling what you can and prioritizing gaining fundamental skills.

“Game days for us are obviously important and sometimes it can get hard to fully focus on soccer when I’m at school, but I like listening to music, mostly rap music, because it helps drone out anything else that’s going on or any other stress I may have,” Kapadia said. “I think it’s easier to get unmotivated if you have the same routine every day because it can burn you out. So, I like to also prioritize doing fun things and if I ever need to feel motivated, I just think about the result and the satisfaction I will feel if I succeed in the future.”

Beyond the soccer field, Kapadia’s leadership experience extends to his dedicated role as a CHS Red Jacket, a position he earned with determination. Kapadia has gained a wide variety of prestigious leadership roles, being involved in Coppell clubs and organizations, being the previous captain of the Coppell FC club soccer team, Spanish National Honor Society vice president, Pratham Club president and the Future Medical Students Club secretary.

“I wanted to be a Red Jacket because I knew some seniors when I was a sophomore and junior who looked up to me, and they encouraged me to be a leader and to set an example for others,” Kapadia said. “I’ve been a part of the Pratham Foundation since I was 5 years old, in which we teach English to kids in India yearly; my sister, Neerali, and I started the CHS Pratham chapter through that foundation.”

With his academic accolades being just as impressive, Kapadia has earned recognition as a National Merit Finalist. Kapadia fell in love with wanting to be a doctor after first shadowing his dad, Dr. Lav Kapadia, an ear, nose and throat surgeon, when he was 14. Nonetheless, Kapadia finds medicine very intriguing regardless of his dad’s profession and he can only see himself following through with this field.

With aspirations of pursuing a career in medicine, specifically as an orthopedic surgeon, Kapadia’s academic journey is guided by his passion for global health and medical anthropology. 

“It honestly felt really rewarding to earn the National Merit title, because I proved to myself that my hard work paid off,” Kapadia said. “I consider earning that scholarship to be a testament to support what all the seemingly endless studying resulted in.”

With aspirations of wanting to be an orthopedic surgeon, Kapadia’s academic journey is guided by his passion for global health, medical anthropology and rehabilitation, especially after dedicating so much time playing soccer – a sport with a large chance for injuries.

“Manav is the definition of what someone with unspoken confidence is; he leads by example, never has a condescending tone, is approachable in the classroom and on the field and manages balancing school with athletics extremely well,” AP Biology teacher Dr. Bianca Benitez said. “I’m proud of how far he has come and I am confident that he will continue succeeding in his post-high school accomplishments, especially as a strong-willed leader.”

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This story was originally published on Coppell Student Media on March 1, 2024.