Personal Statement
Hello. My name is Arianna "Anna" Flota. I have been playing volleyball since 7th grade. I was born and raised on a small island in Belize called Ambergris Caye. I lived there for 10 years. My family moved to the United States during the summer of 2015 to allow me and my sisters to pursue a better education. After we moved, I actively took advantage of all the opportunities I was presented with. I began learning a rigorous curriculum and worked hard to catch up with my classmates. Also, I began to play every sport I was introduced to including softball, swimming, and tennis. In 7th grade, I learned about volleyball and found my sport! I had never played before my middle school tryouts, and I was shocked to have made the highest middle school team. I had fun and quickly grew to love the sport. The next year I was pulled up to the high school JV team as an 8th grader and decided to try out for club/travel volleyball too. It taught me time management because my travel volleyball season overlaps with my varsity softball season in the spring. I continued to work hard, grow and began to play at a higher level. I have played every position, but mostly DS and libero. I play where ever the Coach asks me to and always do what is best for the team. During my September 2020 school season my Coach began to teach me how to be a setter. I worked hard to develop the physical and intellectual characteristics of being a setter. I continued developing my skills as a setter on the 18U zonal team, as a 16-year-old. In my junior year, on my high school's varsity team, I play defense again, mostly DS. I really love the playing in the back row - serving, making a great pass to the setter and getting a back row hit is a lot of fun. I currently play on the ODVA 18 nationals team as one of the few juniors as a DS.
Off the court, I am a determined student at St. Catherine's School in Richmond, Virginia. I am taking 3 APs courses this year (my Junior year). My other extracurricular activities include beach volleyball and softball. I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends. Volleyball has helped me grow personally and as a student athlete by teaching me time management, hard work, patience, leadership and social skills. In college, I hope to continue to grow and begin my path of learning medicine.
