Antonella Cardenas '24 Recruiting Profile

Hello! I am Maria Antonella Cardenas Davila, I was born in Venezuela and Immigrated to the United States in 2019, I am a senior at Redwood High School, and I will be graduating in Spring 2024, I aspire to attend a four-year university where I plan to become a graphic designer, and plan to take my athletic career as a tennis player as far as I can. I am a student with a 4.17 GPA, I have taken honor and AP classes throughout my High School years, as well as I have been an athlete all four years of High School. I started playing tennis when I was five years old, but I stopped when I was ten, later on, I came back to the game when I was thirteen, and the dream of becoming the best I could was still intact. After my family and I immigrated I got to know what a student-athlete was, in Venezuela sports and School never mixed, which is why I have taken all opportunities given to me, I come from a place where there is no long-lasting future, and now I am blessed enough to live here, where I don't only have the opportunity to a great education but also the opportunity of taking tennis as far as I can. I do not take anything for granted and I will work hard to achieve my dreams and goals. I played freshman year at Hamilton High School in Arizona, and now I have continued to play in Visalia California since Sophomore year, I am a three-year Varsity member, I am a two-year captain, a three-year EYL champion as a school, and a two-year EYL Doubles champion (individual tournament),  I have achieved many things through this sport, and won many medals and patches, they are amazing and they are proof of many years of hard work, but they aren't the only thing I take away from tennis and don't get me wrong, I love to win and will work hard and do everything in my control to reach a champions point, but for me, the joy, discipline, consistency, respect, and loyalty I have learned from tennis is one of the biggest impacts in my life, I am a better athlete and person because of tennis, I have loved it my whole life and will never stop loving it. My hope and goal of playing college tennis is to continue the dream, the dream of waking up every day and giving it all on a court,  the dream of growing and realizing that you are capable, the dream of winning, the dream of holding a champions cup and looking at your team saying "We did it" and the dream a little girl once had.