Graduating high school and what comes after can seem intimidating for many, with the new stress of going to college for some, or for others the stress of starting to pay bills and go to work. However others have different plans. Being in a sport for many years throughout high school may motivate students to continue pursuing their sport and question if they want to become professional athletes. On campus, there are many student athletes that have been playing their sport since they were freshman and will continue their athletic careers.
Senior Victoria Tu began her water polo journey during her sophomore year. From not knowing what water polo really was, to becoming one of the varsity players on the team, Tu has shown great development skills during the two years being involved with swim and water polo.
Though being dedicated to water polo, Tu is still unsure if she will be joining the water polo team at San Jose State, the university she is planning to attend.
“Well, I was considering doing swim or water polo at San Jose State but I’ll be like a walk-on, but I’m like still debating if I should still continue aquatics,” said Tu.
Another student athlete on campus that has been actively involved in their sport for many years is Jacob Nguyen. Nguyen has been a baseball player for more than a decade, since he was six years old. After joining the sport because of his dad, Nguyen has gained a serious passion for baseball and has been in the boys varsity baseball team since his freshman year.
From starting with tee ball to now being on the varsity baseball team all throughout high school, Nguyen feels accomplished with his achievements and improvements. Some of his major influences while playing baseball have been Kobe Bryant and Ken Griffey Junior. Watching those two major athletes has given him inspiration and a feeling of admiration for the two who have had a large impact on his athletic life.
After graduating, Nguyen hopes to attend a four year college and mainly focus on his academic life. Although playing baseball has been a very big part of his life, Nguyen’s main priority continues to be his education, but still hopes to continue having baseball as a part of his life by trying out for the baseball team in college.
“Might as well try out, it doesn’t hurt to try. You might as well just give it your best and like I’d rather try out and say I did it then like not doing it and regret not doing anything. If the opportunity presents itself then I will consider playing baseball,” said Nguyen.
Isabella Romero has been starting at 12 years old and plays softball in and out of high school. Being a student athlete has given Romero valuable lessons that have helped her succeed in her academics. The most important lesson she has learned through softball, is to learn to manage your time wisely. Since she has learned and grown so much with the help of softball, Romero plans on playing club for her college and if she doesn’t have the opportunity to keep playing, she plans on coaching later on in her life and having her future kids play just like her.
“Being a student athlete taught me a lot about time management…If I don’t continue playing my sport in the future I hope to coach later on and hopefully have my future kids play softball,” said Romero.
As many seniors take the next big step in their lives, many of them will still carry a bit of their high school experience with them as they will continue to be involved in the sports they participated in throughout the four years on campus.
