Leona Mesishcheva

Student-Athlete · Boxer · Aspiring Lawyer

About

I compete in three rooms that don't usually share an athlete: a boxing ring, a soccer field, and a Model UN podium. Each one taught me the same lesson differently — prepare relentlessly, then perform under pressure. I started boxing at age 4, added ballroom dance through middle school, and picked up soccer and badminton in high school. Model UN came later, because I wanted a place to argue ideas as carefully as I drill a combination — and because I'm planning to study law.

Experience

JV Athlete · Kennedy Cougars Soccer — 2024. I alternated between central defensive midfielder and right wing midfielder, jersey #9, and finished the season with 3 assists.

Competitive Boxer · Underground Boxing Gym — 2013–Present. I'm an amateur competitor training under head coach Ilya Mesishchev (with assistant coaches Dmitry Nesterov and Natalia Sutton) and compete on the Golden Gloves of America circuit. I placed 2nd at the Golden Gloves National Championship and competed at the 2025 Tournament of Champions. My weeks are built around 10–12 hours of ring work in the school year and double sessions through the summer.

Delegate · National High School Model United Nations (NHSMUN) — New York, NY · 2026. I represented Ethiopia in the Commission on Population and Development (CPD), debated Youth Access to a Comprehensive Education and The Impact of Global Inequalities on Birthrates, and delivered remarks at the Committee Session 2 closing plenary.

Editor · Cougar Crier (award-winning school newspaper) — 2025–2027. I edit student reporting, opinion, and feature pieces, and contribute to editorial direction.

Youth Boxing Coach (Part-Time) · Underground Boxing Gym. I coach children ages 5–13 in boxing fundamentals, conditioning, and discipline.

Academic Tutor & Community Volunteer. I tutor math and English for students in grades 3–5, and volunteer at a local synagogue assisting elderly community members.

Athletics

Boxing — Underground Boxing Gym · Golden Gloves Circuit

I started boxing in 2013, at age 4. I expected a workout; I got an entirely different way of thinking about pressure. You can't outsource a round to anyone else, you can't talk your way out of a punch, and you find out very quickly what kind of preparation you actually did that week.

Golden Gloves of America — National Championship · 2nd Place, 2025
Golden Gloves of America — Tournament of Champions · Competitor, 2025
Trains under head coach Ilya Mesishchev with assistant coaches Dmitry Nesterov and Natalia Sutton
Training load: 5 evenings/week during the school year (2 hours per session); 6 days/week through the summer with morning and evening sessions

Soccer — Kennedy Cougars · Jersey #9

Soccer is the part of my week where I don't have to make every decision alone. I played for the JV Cougars in the 2024 season, alternating between central defensive midfielder and right wing midfielder.

3 assists on the 2024 season
Position flexibility — central defensive and right wing midfielder
Also competed for the Kennedy Cougars in badminton

Leadership — Model Un

NHSMUN · Delegation of Ethiopia · CPD Committee

Model UN is where I learned that an argument is only as good as the research underneath it. Preparing for the Commission on Population and Development meant reading actual UN documents, sourcing real demographic data, and being ready to defend a country whose policy positions don't always match my own. The hardest and most useful part was learning to listen — to other delegates, to the chair, to the room — before speaking.

One of my most memorable moments was delivering a speech during a moderated caucus on youth education access, where I argued that education policy cannot succeed if rural communities are treated as an afterthought. After referencing Ethiopia's literacy disparities and proposing teacher-exchange initiatives, several delegates approached me afterward to incorporate parts of the idea into a larger coalition paper. It was the first time I realized that leadership in Model UN is not about speaking the loudest, but about presenting ideas clearly enough that others want to build on them.

Early Foundation — Ballroom Dance

Competitive Ballroom · 2017–2023 (Ages 7–13)

Before the ring and before the field, there was the dance floor. I competed for 6 years in Latin and Standard categories at regional youth events, placing 1st in all 4 competitions I entered.

It's where I first learned the basics everything since has been built on: how to drill a movement until it's automatic, how to perform when judges are watching, how to lose well and come back the next weekend.

Skills & Interests

Languages

I speak English and Russian fluently, and I'm studying Spanish at the intermediate level.

My strongest areas in school are English and Social Studies. My coursework includes the AP Capstone track (AP Seminar, AP Research), AP Language, AP Literature, AP World, APUSH, and AP Government. I'm drawn to subjects that reward careful reading and structured argument.

Most of my time outside school goes to training — boxing, conditioning, and team practice. When I'm not in a gym or on a field, I follow international affairs and current events, read a new book each month, and write reflections on my week.