High School Senior Never Fears a Strikeout

Babe Ruth is said to have uttered, “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from swinging.”

David Schneider has fully adopted that attitude.

“I tried out for the baseball team all four years and never made it once,” said the senior. “I learned that sometimes you just can’t win. Sometimes things are out of your control, no matter how hard you work or want them.”

The past two summers, Schneider played as a pitcher for a recreational team called the Lugnuts. “I like pitching and the pressure that comes with it,” he said.

Schneider is a member of the school chapter of DECA, which prepares future business leaders and entrepreneurs. , which he said boosted his confidence. Schneider placed first in Principles of Business & Administration Individual Role Play. He and nine other students will compete at the International Career Development Conference on April 29 through May 2 in Salt Lake City. 

“After I won first place at state, I had the confidence to not care about my performance in front of my peers,” he said. ”Baseball tryouts were actually fun this year because I flat out didn’t care like I used to.”

Schneider is a member of the National Honor Society. His favorite class? 

“I’m a calculus guy,” he said. “There are rules. Everything works out.” 

He also enjoys science and participated in the Science Olympiad. “We compete to solve math and science problems," said Schneider. "It's basically a big nerd convention."

Last summer, Schneider studied science in Costa Rica on a biology research trip. “We spent nine days in the rainforest and two days on the beach at a sea turtle research station,” he said.

Schneider plans to pursue a career in science. “I would like to major in microbiology or biochemistry, and then attend medical school,” he said.

This fall, he will likely attend the University of Notre Dame.  

Leaving his family to move out of state doesn’t worry him. “I have relatives in Indiana, and it doesn’t feel too far away,” he said. The Schneider family includes parents Thomas and Paula, brother Eric, and a retriever-collie mix named Scooder.

When Schneider isn’t studying or doing homework, he is likely working at in Minnetonka.

“I wanted a job that would benefit me later in life, and learning about tools is useful,” said Schneider, who has worked at the hardware store for a year and a half. “I work in the shop, sell things, and stock shelves.”

He works 10-20 hours per week now, but in the fall he worked up to 35 hours per week. “That was a little stressful,” he admitted. 

But Schneider enjoys the job. “I love putting things together and figuring out how they work,” he said. “Right now I have a project, trying to fix my lawn mower. The transmission broke.”

Schneider volunteers his time to Backpack Tutoring. This is his fourth year tutoring Minneapolis elementary school children. “This year, I’m working with kindergarteners,” he said. “We focus on math and reading.”

His volunteerism also includes two Youth Works mission trips with his church, . 

“We went to a reservation in Red Lake and to a West Virginia mining town,” he said. “We paint, do minor house repairs, and spend time with kids playing sports and doing activities.  It’s a great way to meet people and make new friends.”

As Schneider prepares to graduate, he has some advice for incoming freshman like his younger brother.

“Try new stuff,” he said. “There are so many activities I wish I had tried. Who cares what other people might think? Just try it.”

Even in his free time, Schneider manages to stay busy. A typical weekend could include playing baseball, tennis or ultimate Frisbee with friends. He also likes to watch the Twins. “Michael Cuddyer was my favorite player before he left,” said Schneider. 

Expecting an even busier college schedule this fall, Schneider has already cast an absentee ballot in the presidential election. 

How does he feel about voting for the first time?  “I am really tired of hearing about politics,” he said. ”But if I had one hope for the next administration, it would be that everyone involved just grow up and get something done."