By Lylyan Yenson and Charlyne Nguyen
Many of Fountain Valley High School’s (FVHS) student athletes have signed to colleges to play sports, and they couldn’t be more thrilled.
Student athletes make many sacrifices and put in a lot of effort in order to do what they love. It can be grueling and oftentimes stressful, but for many Barons, these sacrifices pay off in the long run.
These FVHS athletes, such as volleyball player senior Juliette Bokor, also hadn’t predicted they would be signed to their colleges three years back when they entered high school.
“Initially I was surprised when I got the offer, but that quickly turned into excitement,” said Bokor, who will be attending the University of California, San Diego.
Likewise, while she was grateful for this outcome, senior Lauren Mena, who will be playing volleyball at Dixie State University in Utah, also never saw this opportunity coming.
“It was a goal of mine to hopefully play volleyball in college but I didn’t really know that it was going to be this big and that I actually could do it,” Mena said.
It’s undeniable that student athletes who get signed continuously work hard to develop both their athletic abilities and skills and learn to balance their scholastic and personal life.
“I originally started to play this sport because my parents signed me up for it. It just became part of my life that I love,” said senior Samara Ortega, who will attend Hampton University in Virgnia and play softball. “To earn this opportunity, I had to be dedicated as a player, [s]tay focused on my education and just work hard in every area of my life.”
Being an athlete is one thing, but being a student athlete is another. This means not only putting 100% on the court or the field but also giving one’s all in the classroom.
“As I started to take volleyball more seriously, I made conscious decisions to always work hard and put in extra effort, always trying to be coachable and open to advice,” Bokor said. “I was also invested in taking difficult classes and getting good grades, knowing that my education was just as important to me as the volleyball aspect.”
COVID-19 has already made these times more confusing—especially for seniors choosing which colleges they want to attend. But for student athletes who got signed to play at a certain college already, they’re out of the tunnel at this point and are looking forward to being where they belong for the next four years of their lives.
“I chose Hampton University because of how I felt when speaking to my future teammates and my new coaches,” Ortega said. “After doing some research of the school and virtual tours, I knew it was where I wanted to be.”
For many of the athletes, it was love at first sight when they first came to visit their school’s campus, but for one particular athlete, he always had one school in mind.
“I had a lot of other schools contacting me, reaching out, but, like, from the very start I wanted to go to Arizona State,” wrestler senior Max Wilner said. “We’re allowed three or four visits…, but I only took one and that was to Arizona State and then I just committed after that trip.”
While these athletes are looking forward to representing their new schools with their athletic abilities, they’re also continuing to take their education seriously. Not only are they looking forward to starting a new chapter in their athletic lives, but their plan is to also take advantage of their new-found educational opportunities.
“The big reason why I chose Arizona State [University] is because of their law school,” Wilner said. “They have a pretty good law school here. So after I attend college here for four years, I want to attend law school here.”
Mena also shared her future aspirations. Although volleyball is one of her passions, she wants to pursue an education degree and possibly work with children.
Family is a big part of Mena’s life as her mom was her inspiration to start volleyball. In addition to this volleyball is a sport she enjoys with her family whether it’s watching or playing. She hopes to move back after college to stay with her family.
“My favorite thing about it is probably that it’s never the same thing over and over again,” Mena said. “Every single game and every single point is so different that I feel it’s really entertaining to watch and to play.”
Working hard and putting off time may often leave student athletes in stressful situations. But if one jumps those hurdles with grace, they can overcome anything.
“It’s just about your determination, how hard you want to work,” is Mena’s advice to other student athletes.
Seniors swimmer Ivan Nghi and soccer player Connor Trapp did not respond to Baron Banner’s request for comments. Nghi committed to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and Trapp committed to Montana State University Billings.
