Wow, our school has definitely helped create some mighty wolves! This next athlete is not only a great example in the classroom but a phenomenal varsity player on the court and an amazing baker on the side! Now try to guess what grade she is in, I'll give you a second. Okay, now that you’ve taken a wild guess, she’s only a SOPHOMORE! Crazy right! Our spotlight athlete this week is THE Arianna Pacheco. So let's dig into the lifestyle of a volleyball student-athlete and small business owner.
Arianna has been playing volleyball for just 6 years. She started out just playing for fun with her friends for the St. Catherine's school team, but soon fell in love with the sport and hasn’t stopped playing since. She has received a most improved award, recognized by her own coach already as a team leader, started her high school volleyball career on the varsity team, and qualified for Far Western Nationals with her club team! In her freshman debut, she also had some of the highest stats on her team at 59 sets played, 69 kills, and 319 attack attempts! Now those are some very impressive stats for just her first year as a high schooler. Now you might be wondering how she handles being this successful on the court and owning her own business, well, let’s see what her daily schedule looks like.
Outside of volleyball, most of Arianna’s time is dedicated to school and her business. Typically she wakes up and does her skin care routine before she eats breakfast. She then packs any orders she has for her business or just experiments with different cookies. So if you’re ever hungry and you think hmmm... I want some quality cookies or macarons, go follow her account RIGHT NOW @nanasmunchies, she won’t disappoint you! After she gets everything done for her business, she then attends her classes and finishes any homework or assignments that need to be done before practice. So by the time her Club Solano or high school volleyball practice comes, she is all done for the day once her practice is over. Wow, what a busy lifestyle, I don’t think I would be able to even handle it all!
However from all the hard work she has put into school, sports, and her business she has learned a lot and met some amazing people along the way. Arianna explained in the interview that managing everything can be difficult at times, but that is when she has learned to lean on her supporting family and friends. So for all student-athletes reading this, managing a social life, school, and sports can be hard but not impossible. Your family, friends, coaches, and teammates are there to support and guide you no matter what. Arianna had met many of her closest friends through volleyball and very inspiring/motivational people that she couldn’t have gone through this journey without. And I know many of you are in the same position as her.
Along this journey one of the biggest lessons Arianna has learned is to be patient. She has seen players who have a higher vertical than her or better skilled, but it never discouraged her. Instead she learned to be patient with herself and just put in 110% more effort to achieve her goals to better herself as a person and as a player because nothing happens overnight. Which is also why one of her favorite quotes is the Bible verse from Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” It has helped motivate her through those difficult times to remember that God is always by her side.
So her advice to all you student-athletes out there reading this article is, “To keep working your hardest even when times are tough. Sometimes it'll feel like you don't want to go to practice or a game but you just have to persevere because it will always be worth it in the end.” And that’s coming from a now two-year varsity player who not only manages a social life, sports, a small business, but school too. If you work 110% harder during those challenging times you will come out better in the end having learnt amazing life lessons and amazing family, friends, coaches, and teammates by your side.
Thank you so much Arianna for being such a good leader on and off the court for all other student-athletes out there. The amount of hard work you put into everything you do is not going unnoticed. You’ve had a very encouraging journey so far and I’m sure your family, friends, coaches, and teammates can’t wait to see what else the future has in store for you. Keep up all the good work and you’ll continue to be the successful student-athlete and small business owner you’re today. Go Wolves!
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