North Broward Prep’s Leah Finkelman is the Broward Girls’ Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Most people who follow high school girls’ soccer in South Florida probably know about North Broward Prep’s Leah Finkelman.
They know the skilled scorer and midfielder, who registered a school-record 113 goals during a stellar career that lifted her team to the state final four her junior season.
But during that time, Finkelman was also achieving goals behind the scenes in the classroom.
That combo of athletic and academic excellence landed her the opportunity to continue her career in the Ivy League at prestigious Pennsylvania University.
“The past few years it’s been soccer, soccer, soccer, but I have been working really hard in school so it feels great to be recognized for all the work I’ve been putting in,” Finkelman said. “I always knew I wanted to go to a school with high academics but can balance that with good athletics. I just fell in love with the campus and I knew that with such high academics and a great soccer program, I felt at home.”
Finkelman finished her high school career with 36 goals and 26 assists this past season, leading the Eagles to the regional semifinals after they moved up to Class 4A.
Finkelman, who also ran track, finished as one of the leading scorers in Broward County history and was named the Miami Herald’s Class 4A-2A Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, earning All-Broward first team honors all four years of high school.
Finkelman was also named the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 4A Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year.
“It’s awesome. If I could do a fifth season I would,” Finkelman said. “I had an amazing time with this team. Every goal I scored and every time I could help my team was an awesome feeling and it was great leaving a legacy that hopefully will last a long time.”
But Finkelman, who finished fifth in her senior class of 250 students, accomplished everything while maintaining an impressive 4.25 unweighted and 5.15 weighted grade point average. She also scored a 1500 on the SAT and was a member of multiple National Honor Societies also earning a Miami Herald Silver Knights nomination for athletics.
In addition to playing soccer for Penn, Finkelman said she plans to pursue a career in the neuroscience field likely in a job related to athletics.
“The brain is fascinating and I like studying mental health problems in athletes and how that’s playing into their performances, and explore, at a deeper level, what causes that,” Finkelman said. “It would be interesting to research it and do something in that field. Penn has a lot of great programs and opportunities and I think I’ll definitely find what I’m passionate about and I’m excited for this next chapter.”
