Hungary sends Samo a gift

Her whole life, Anna Pinter (’20) has dreamed of coming to the United States to study the English language and practice the sport of water polo. This year, her dream finally came true. Pinter came to California through a program called the American Field Organization (AFS), an international youth exchange program that lets teenagers study abroad for a year in high school. The organization randomly chose to send Pinter to the city of Santa Monica, and she considers herself extremely lucky to be living here. The Hungarian junior was first introduced to water polo five years ago, when her brother, who played for ten years, motivated her to try the sport. She is currently the varsity goalie on the Samo team, a position she has always played. “I think one of my biggest strengths is that I believe in hard work, and I never give up on my goals,” she said, with no pun intended. Pinter’s hard work evidently paid off, and she had the chance to train with Hungary’s National Youth Team. The goalie practiced all summer with the National team for the European Water Polo Championship, which was held from July 14 to July 27 in Barcelona, Spain.Despite her glamorous life overseas, Pinter has fallen in love with Samo and Santa Monica as a whole. She admits that it is a big change from her old school, but she admires the range of academic options Samo offers and the fact that she is able to meet new people everyday. However, Pinter admits there is only one thing at Samo that matters most to her.  “The water polo team is just my favorite. They are so funny, open and nice, especially on my first day here. I’m so excited to start the season with them!” Pinter said. In a year, Pinter will return to her home country, but she hopes to one day be lucky enough to visit again. Until then, Samo’s water polo team will benefit from their new addition.