Maria Slater '18 Recruiting Profile

My collegiate goals are to earn an Engineering degree; I would love to play college sports athletics also.  I want to major in Civil Engineering and minor in Ministry. I am currently playing volleyball for my third year in high school.  I played the middle position on the Junior Varsity team. As a sophomore, and Senior I am a right side hitter on the Varsity team. My junior year I tore my ACL in my right knee. During off-season basketball in my sophomore year in high school, I tore my “anterior cruciate ligament”, or ACL, and my meniscus; those are two vital tissues in the knee that allow the leg to move properly. The doctor said the minimum amount of time I would be out is 6 months. The maximum amount of time would have been 9 months. Once I heard that, I started working diligently during therapy, during school, and outside of school to meet the minimum deadline. I was participating in physical activities every day with my knee to recover fast and I was steadfast in my faith. I had others pray for my knee and read the Bible to get closer to the Lord spiritually. My hard work and faithfulness had paid off and I will finally be cleared to play sports at my school, Elsik High School, on December 13th. I got my surgery on June 13th. I have met the deadline exactly.What makes me stand out is my dedication to working hard. My parents taught me that "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." My character is different from other recruits because I always have a positive attitude towards my team and work to keep them motivated. In athletics, I always put my best effort forward and I'm constantly working on trying to improve myself to achieve greatness. Yes, grades are my top priority because school is my job (I am in the top 1% of my class), but I love the grit and hustle of sports. I am quite the competitor!