The Arnold resident, 18, is a recent graduate of Broadneck High School. With a weighted grade-point average of 4.475, she finished third in her class of 550. But that's not what sets her apart as she reaches for her goal of a medical career.

She'll be on the pre-med track this fall at the college of her choice, William & Mary. "I haven't chosen a specific field," she said. "I want to help people get better."

Her desire to become a doctor began in early childhood. "When I was real young, I had a medical play kit with a cuff and stethoscope," she said, adding that her victim - er - patient, was her younger sister, Jenny, now 16 and a rising senior at Broadneck High.

They played with the kit for hours. Instead of bedtime stories about Cinderella or the Smurfs, Stephanie asked her mother, June, a Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage sales associate, to read stories about doctors.

In third grade, the teen recalls, she painted a portrait of herself as a doctor.

Not exactly a Doogie Howser, Stephanie did not spend her childhood studying diagrams of virus DNA. Rather, she got out into the fresh air, and as a top Broadneck area athlete, Stephanie kicked and quick-sticked her way to more than a few goals.

Her senior year, she served as captain of the Lady Bruins varsity soccer and lacrosse teams.

"Stephanie is a true example of excellence on the playing field and in the classroom," Lady Bruins Lacrosse Coach Karen Tengwall said. "These days, it's truly special to have a teenager that can provide a leadership role throughout all of their high school activities and those outside of school. Having coached Stephanie for four years, I have watched her grow and evolve into a wonderful young lady with lots of personality and spunk."

"Both teams went to the regional semifinals this school year," Stephanie said. "In lacrosse, we lost in two overtimes to Severna Park by one point, a heartbreak. In soccer, we were up against Severna Park again. After being tied 0-0, we lost after five shootouts through two overtimes. It could have gone either way. Severna Park had very talented players."

So does Broadneck High. The team and its most recent captain have earned numerous county, state and regional honors the past four years. She played midfield in lacrosse and defense in soccer. In both sports, Stephanie garnered the "Unsung Hero" award in 2007.

In addition to her family, church members and her Creator, the teen credits her teachers for pulling her through.

She said math instructors Linda Link and Rob Harris, science teacher Jody Jallepalli and Spanish teacher Barbara Markey helped mold her into a scholar.

"I didn't wake up smart!" Stephanie said. "A lot of people helped me. The teachers at Broadneck High are accommodating and helpful. I'd go in before school and they'd help me. I always had to work really, really hard for my grades. It didn't come easy."

Toss in an active sports schedule plus student government and National Honors Society leadership posts, and Stephanie learned another subject: time management. "When I'd come home from practice, if there was a game that evening, I knew I had to sit down and do my homework," she said.

Stephanie's family moved around quite a bit in her youth: She was born in Boston and has lived in Port Jefferson, Long Island, N.Y., Racine, Wis., and two times in Arnold. Her father, Todd Steinweg, is the sales manager for SC Johnson, a household products company.

In addition to kid sister Jenny, Stephanie has a brother, Bobby, 12, a rising seventh-grader at Magothy Middle, plus a yellow Labrador, Maggie, who is 2.

The College of William & Mary recruited Stephanie for her lacrosse prowess. She already is on the varsity roster. "I loved the campus the three times I visited. The kids on the team are friendly and the ratio of students to teachers is really small," she said.

Stephanie has another skill. She speaks fluent Spanish, which she put to good use last week on her second trip to Piedras Negras in Mexico.

As part of a mission group from Broadneck Evangelical Presbyterian Church, she spent the week working with the children in an orphanage located just across the Rio Grande from Texas.

In her spare time, the teen works at her church's Vacation Bible School, handles office administrative duties for dermatologist Dr. Lisa Renfro at the Sajak Pavilion, is a babysitter every Wednesday and is employed as a weekend "birthday party planner" at Big Vanilla.

"There is not a day in the past four years of lacrosse where she didn't give 110 percent - even if she wasn't playing her best game. And she looks to push and encourage those around her," said Katy Kelley, the assistant girls lacrosse coach at Broadneck.from Texas.

In her spare time, the teen works at her church's Vacation Bible School, handles office administrative duties for dermatologist Dr. Lisa Renfro at the Sajak Pavilion, is a babysitter every Wednesday and is employed as a weekend "birthday party planner" at Big Vanilla.

"There is not a day in the past four years of lacrosse where she didn't give 110 percent - even if she wasn't playing her best game. And she looks to push and encourage those around her," said Katy Kelley, the assistant girls lacrosse coach at Broadneck. "Deeply involved in her faith, Stephanie looks to do good for all those around her without considering the benefit to herself. You can see this in her athletics, when she babysits young children, in her student government roles, and in her willingness to actively involve herself in the missions of her church."

The coach added the best honor a player could hope for. She said: "I would hope my children would grow up to be like her."

Anyone can nominate a Teen of the Week. If you have a nomination, send it by e-mail to Wendi Winters at Teen@quantumstep.com.