Aaliyah Garcia '23 Recruiting Profile

My name is Aaliyah Garcia. I am a tenth grader at Bolsa Grande High School and am interested in running Track in college. Although I have been playing soccer for five years of my life and have only ran a season of Track, the energy that I felt while I was running was noticeably different. This, in fact, took me by surprise as I was planning to play soccer in college. Track was only, at first, meant to be for speed work. However, after a season with the team, running races, and going to invitationals, my beginning mindset towards Track blossomed to a flame of passion. Through this sport I have learned the importance perseverance, mindset, and preparation. I have also learned that whenever I am feeling a strong emotion, my first thought is that I need to run. It has taught me much about myself, such as I tend to do well under pressure and nerves, making me, in fact, run faster. On a regular day during Track season I would practice with my team and afterward would attend soccer practice with my high school's soccer team. Due to this amount of work my legs were under extreme pressure and I went to the Athletic Trainer's office to get help for my legs. Through this I found an interest in pursuing a career in athletic medicine. I began to read books about athletic medicine and gained knowledge on how to tend injuries before they became more severe. This has helped me prevent injuries and stay in healthy shape for running season.