If you’re on the Benjamin Banneker Girls’ Varsity Soccer or Basketball Team, or part of the 2025 class, then you know Rainelle McNeil.
As a multisport student athlete at Banneker, it can be difficult to manage time and balance a social life along with homework, community service hours, clubs, sports, and sometimes even jobs.
“I had a lot of exposure and experience that my mom let me have to be able to determine the things that I’m interested in,” said McNeil. “She allowed me to be curious about different things in order to find out what they are.”
Growing up, McNeil was allowed to explore her interests and discover her true passions. She tried new and different things in third grade but stuck with soccer and basketball because she enjoyed them the most. But more than that, McNeil is an only child from her biological parents. She grew up in the Deanwood area of DC for most of her life and attended Cleveland Elementary School, which is a few blocks away from Banneker.
McNeil described her support system by saying that her mother “set discipline that helped me to know right from wrong. My father has also always been supportive of me and family as well.”
A supportive system always encourages one to pursue the things they like. However, an obstacle that changed her perspective on her personal and academic goals was the COVID-19 Pandemic.
“COVID made me learn to not take things for granted and to not let little things set me back,” said McNeil.
As to this, the pandemic also prevented her from playing the sports she likes. Therefore, once schools reopened, she decided to play soccer again and join the girls’ varsity soccer team for Banneker. She received the 2023 DCIAA High School Soccer All League Honors award on October 31 at the DCIAA Girls Championship game that took place at Dunbar High School.
Besides being a multi-sport athlete, she was in the Pre-IB track her first two years at Banneker. She switched tracks and is now a junior AP Scholar that has completed all her language requirements and is currently taking Latin.
McNeil described her academic life as challenging. She said, “it has its up and downs. When it gets challenging, I can get frustrated, so I take breaks and get back to it after. Junior year has been going better compared to my other school years.”
Her last comment was to Banneker students saying “if you’re interested in playing sports, try it out and don’t be afraid. You can make friends and learn new skills. Don’t choose to not pursue something you’re interested in or like.”
