Name: Nataly Lopez

School, spring sport and position/event: Arcadia High School, Beach Volleyball

How long have you been playing your sport? Six years

Why did you choose to play your sport? Volleyball has been a sport for me to let out all my strength out. My family and I have been playing volleyball ever since I was little so I grew up loving and playing the sport at such a young age.

What is your favorite personal sports memory from your playing career? Since freshman year the bus rides to the game were always fun to ride with singing out loud our favorite songs and hyping everyone up for our games has made a special piece in my heart to remember. Even better, the bus rides back home with a winning game were even better with everyone having a burst of energy of dancing, singing, making funny snaps for our story for people to see.

Who has impacted you the most along your sports journey? Why? All the volleyball coaches from my high school, But especially Jacquelyn Bunker, Arian Chang. Not only were they the best coaches I ever had, they also helped me and everyone in the team out with our personal life and school as well. They are both teachers at my high school so they understand the struggles us student-athletes were going through. And that’s what I loved about both of them is that they understood us and they pushed us to keep going strong not only during practice and games but also during campus.

What are you going to miss most about high school sports? I’m going to miss everyone that I’ve played with and through out my high school sports. I’m going to miss all the fun and funny memories I made with all my coaches and teammates.

What comes next for you after high school? I am not going to be playing sports after high school my plan is to go to Phoenix Community College. There I would be majoring in criminal justice. My plan is to attend there for two years and then transfer to Penn State law to have my bachelors law.

What advice would you give to the underclassmen? My advice for high school freshmen would be to keep your focus on the future especially if you feel like your high school might not be the best experience, the way I did. I had a hard time making friends, and I now realize you aren’t in high school to make friends; you’re there to begin making a name for yourself. Drama and problems with other students are so common, and although it’s way easier said than done, you have to ignore it. If you have one or two friends, well, that’s way better than a whole group you can’t relate to. To this day, I look at lower classmen oddly because so many of them care about “getting lit” and going to parties. I want to tell them, “Hey! That’s not important.” Lastly, understanding the social hierarchy of high school is absolutely wrong. Right now, it’s “Who’s cool?” and things like that, but, in the end, the hierarchy that matters is your class rank. It’s so crucial that you stay high up in that ranking if you plan on going to college.

Editor's Note: The Independent is seeking to highlight senior spring athlete's whose seasons were cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic. You can email News Services Editor Josh Martinez at jmartinez@newszap.com for a questionnaire to fill out for a future senior spotlight.