Ella Maldonado '23 Recruiting Profile

Visit my Volleyball Instagram -https://www.instagram.com/ellamaldonadovb/

Visit my YouTube channel - https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCwYcmuonHYDQgXeeQxS41Nw/featur

Personal Statement 

When the world pressed pause, I pressed play. The covid-19  shutdown woke up a part of me I knew I possessed but had not been tested. All my life competitions, training, workouts, etc were always planned for me. Covid forced me to take ownership of my sport, body, nutrition, and mental health. I immediately took action. I made calendars, sketched check lists and most importantly, a list of goals. Each day I woke up early and headed to any available patch of grass, sand, or field and got to work. When no volleyball courts were available, that did not stop me. I woke up early on many stormy March mornings and headed to the closest beach where I thought there would be nets. Unfortunately only poles stood. I tied string to two volleyball poles and used this as my net to do various drills. My first goal was to continue to train hard for GEVA Nationals in Dallas, Texas in June. This goal kept me positive and engaged throughout the spring. When the call came from my coach, that nationals was canceled I was devastated, but quickly changed direction and came up with a new goal, which was to train for beach volleyball nationals in Atlantic City.  I then got on the phone, reached out to former trainers and called local parks in the area to find out what courts were available and what guidelines I had to follow. I trained individually at first and then when things opened up, I coordinated a small group of high level beach volleyball players and scheduled training. I created a volleyball instagram account and recorded my workouts to keep positive. Little did I know that my organization, positivity and publicity would help create a new club which  led to a beautiful article documenting my covid journey, that was represented in the Long Island herald. Although covid has had a negative impact on the world and my life, it helped enhance my determination,  drive and the grit that makes up my  DNA.

I am proud of the way I faced adversity and turned it around to make it positive. I continue this hard work in the classroom where I have a 4.0 GPA while taking all honors or AP classes. I intend to utilize these qualities on the collegiate level where I will bring my competitive mindset and work ethic to compete, train, and help others each day.