Gabriela Abousleman '28 Recruiting Profile

Hello! My name is Gabriela Abousleman. I am a freshman in high school located in Melbourne, FL. I was first introduced to volleyball at the age of 4 watching my sister play on her own team. At first I wasn't fully invested in the excitement of the sport itself. Although what I knew I enjoyed from the beginning was playing with others as a team. When I turned 7, my sister had invited me to play with her and her teammates during one of their breaks at a tournament. I truly believe that was the moment where I fell in love with volleyball. I would love to continue this found passion and play in a team at the collegiate level!

Athletically, I pride myself for always trying to be the best that I can be to better the team. Of course I always do my best to ensure that I'm a coachable player who can have challenges thrown at them, a hard worker by achieving technical skills, or mentally prepared or reset whenever I need to focus back into practice or a game. The physical work that I put into the sport allows for what I personally try to keep on a higher standard of volleyball. Always being there for my team. After all, they're my family on the court and our connection in games can determine everything, so it's important to support each other by cheering them on or just keeping a positive attitude and allowing it to spread.

On the academic aspect of things, I also find it important that I challenge myself in my classes, since that's how you learn. Lessons that I've learned in the classroom I find can be used in volleyball and in life. I do and will always have some subjects that I enjoy more than others, but I always try to find one or more things that motivate me to focus on why those classes are going to benefit me. If I'm not in the classroom, I always enjoy meeting and helping others in my community year-round. I truly admire the amount of teamwork and connection that needed to be gained in such a short period of time.

One other passion that I'd love to pursue is attending a college with the right fit for me. My love helping others in any sort of fashion, as well as my interests in how the body works have led me to want to work in the medical field. Not only do I think it would be a good career path that would make me happiest, I can also help make other people's day just a bit better. I feel like becoming a medical professional is my way of giving back to the people who have given so much to me.