Abbeville High's Patel excels at school, on tennis court

By Laura Trahan

Swapnil Patel, 17, a senior at Abbeville High School, has achieved a 4.0 GPA throughout his high school years and has made the state championship in tennis tournament, so he excels in both academics and on the tennis court.
He also made a 32 on his ACT test.
Though he was born in Lafayette, his parents, Prakash and Nayna Patel, are originally from Western India. Not only has he participated in tennis, but he has also been a member of the school band, where he plays tenor saxophone, the BETA Club, math club and the speech team throughout high school.
He is incredibly intelligent, and can pick up on what he studies quickly, depending on his interest.
“It depends on what class it is and what kind of test it is,” said Patel. “If I like the class, it doesn’t take as much time because I pay more attention, and I can understand it easier. If I don’t it takes me a little longer.”
His favorite subject is science, so it is no surprise that once he graduates, he will be attending UL Lafayette to major in biology before going to medical school. However, he admitted that he is not quite sure as to what field he will be focusing on quite yet.
Patel’s interest in tennis began during the eighth grade before joining Abbeville High’s tennis team the following year. He has made it into the state tournament twice, for his sophomore year and for this year. He, along with his doubles partner Jonathon George, will be traveling to UL Monroe for that championship on Thursday.
The two qualified after competing in the regional rounds last week. Patel is glad that he had reached his goal of competing at the state level during his senior year.
“I am happy because it was my ultimate goal,” he said. “I wanted to go back (to the state championship) because it was my senior year, so I’m happy I got the opportunity.”
Asked about when he got into the sport, Patel replied, “I started practicing before, with the team, when I was in eighth grade, and then I started in high school. I have fun playing tennis. Every weekend, I go with my dad and play some more.”
His father, Prakash, owns the Vermilion Motel on Charity Street. Nayna also helps him run it.
Swapnil says that he would not mind running the family business, but he would like to do something else.
“I wouldn’t mind, but I really like biology,” he said. “My dad supports me and my career choice. I would not mind continuing the family business, but I think this is a better option.”
Francis LeBlanc, sponsor of the tennis team as well as the choir director at Abbeville High and J.H. Williams Middle School, has nothing but praises for Patel, referencing on how well he plays tennis and his work ethic.
“He’s the teacher’s dream student,” he said. “He’s outspoken, well-mannered, disciplined, and wants to do well.”
As would one expect from a high school senior, who is about to move on to the college life, Patel said he will mostly miss his classmates and the faculty at Abbeville High.
“In college, you don’t get to meet everybody, talk to them and have fun. It’s less people (that you know), as in high school, you are used to that social aspect of knowing everybody.”