Sierra Boles '22 Recruiting Profile

My personal life motto is “Never Give Up” and it keeps me mentally grounded and focused in my #1 favorite sport…volleyball! It was born out something my parents always taught me from as far back as I can remember…“Positive Attitude, Positive Posture.” When I was younger, I didn't really understand what they meant or why they always brought it up when my brother or I were going through tough situations or things weren’t going smoothly. But through my sports career including 7 years of recreational (rec)/school/club volleyball (my passion sport), 1 year of tennis, 2 years of pom dance, 8 years of rec/school/AAU basketball, and 8 years of rec/school/club soccer, I came to truly understand what my parents were teaching me and that it actually works. A positive attitude drives into me the toughness I need to get going when the going gets tough (by not giving up or quitting)…in situations on and off the court. A positive attitude “postures” me to work productively with difficult people (by not giving in to negativity)…in instances on and off the court. Positivity is also contagious. People generally like to be around and want to team with positive people (because they don’t give up)…in activities on and off the court. I know this mindset will keep me on track as I pursue a sports management degree in college, too. I try my best every day to bring this attitude into everything I do, especially in balancing my academics, sports, and extracurricular activities. The “Positive Attitude, Positive Posture" mindset really helps me minimize stress from my college prep school course loads, to never give up but keep charging ahead, and has enabled me to earn membership into my high school National Honor Society and the National Society of High School Scholars (as well as National Junior Honor Society back during middle school).  It matured me and has kept my “eyes on the prize” (going to the next level in school and club volleyball) through different seasons from warming to the bench, to “pinch hitting”, to starting, then starting and being a 6-rotational player. Additionally, when I was JV team captain for volleyball and basketball, I was able to encourage my teammates to use the “Positive Attitude, Positive Posture" to keep all of us mentally tough during game play. I am convinced our team’s positive attitude and posture is what gave us the grit to keep charging and never give up. We won season tournament championships in each sport which hadn’t been done in several years! I absolutely love volleyball, the teamwork and bonding, the feeling that comes with winning after a hard-fought match, and the “wins” that come from a sense of accomplishment in giving our ultimate best even when we are not declared the game victor. I most definitely want to experience this at the college level. Coaches can count on me to always play, and encourage my teammates to play, with a "Positive Attitude, Positive Posture" mindset. As a result, we will ALWAYS win because through it, we will keep pressing to be better and never, ever give up!