SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis senior guard Kristen Lau wants to make a difference. Whether it is on the court or on campus, she is driven to create the best for her teammates and classmates.

“Kristen is a very motivated, disciplined self-starter with a positive attitude. She always has a smile on her face with a contagious laugh and a magnetic personality,” said Laura Hanusek, the director of student activities at St. Francis. “You just want to be around her because she makes everyone feel good.”

Lau is active on campus as the student body treasurer and point guard on the basketball team.

“The first time I watched her play I was blown away, said Hanusek. “She had her game face on. She was so focused.”

Lau, who started playing basketball in kindergarten, has played all four seasons on the basketball teams for the Troubadours.

“She has a very high basketball IQ,” said Head Coach Vic Pitton. “She is good at distributing the ball to the other players…She is a leader in everything she does. She garners a lot of respect from her teammates for that leadership. Even though she is very small by basketball standards, she carries a lot of weight.”

Standing just 5-foot-0, Lau is not bothered by her lack of size. In fact, she is motivated by it.

“It is not bad being short,” said Lau. “Sometimes it is a good thing and it is a great icebreaker to crack a short joke. People are surprised but it is fun to prove them wrong.”

She has been showing her skills on the court all season. Playing point guard, Lau has averaged just under two points and two assists a game. With the game on the line, she is not afraid to step up when necessary. She made six straight free throws in the final two minutes to help St. Francis post a win over Animo South at the Nike Invitational in December.

Lau is the second member of her family to play basketball for St. Francis, following in the footsteps of her older sister Nicole. During her freshman season, they were both on campus for one year, a special time for the siblings.

“It was really nice to have someone to show me around and that I could count on,” said Lau. “I also had a ride to school so I could sleep in the car which was nice. Everyone knew her because she was the SBO President.”

Now everyone knows Kristen, not only for her basketball skills but her leadership on the student council. Entering her season year, she wanted to help create the best year for her classmates and got involved to make sure it happened.

“I got involved because I love St. Francis and I want to be a big part of it,” said Lau. “I want everybody to have as good of a time as I am. I want to change the school because there are things that need to be expressed like getting the school spirit going again. I saw some things I wanted to change and I thought a good way to do it is through student council.”

Lau lists several accomplishments from the student body officers this year including producing a memorable Homecoming week that featured the return of musical chairs (it was a big deal). She is also active outside school with Christian service activities at the Asain Community Center, the Boys and Girls Club and Kaiser Permanente Hospital.

“No matter how small your act is, it does really affect people,” said Lau.

She is surprised to already be in her final semester at St. Francis. But she is hardly sitting on her laurels, taking advantage of every moment.

“I want to enjoy as much as possible and try to make my time at St. Francis last,” said Lau. “I want to make an impact on the underclassmen, help them remember what is great about this school and why they chose it in the first place.”

St. Francis High School is a better place because of Lau.