Mara Geiger '25 Recruiting Profile

      In my path of life, I know it will not have easy routes. In my life, until now, I learned that I can’t complete things without putting my effort and interest into it. My life was always and will always be filled with challenges and I must face them. Starting at a young age, I have always had a busy schedule by trying to do my best to maintain both good performances in school and sports too, I can really say that I did not live my childhood like other kids did; of course I had time for playing, taking a walk in the forest with my parents and going to the playground, but since I was little, my parents taught me to acknowledge my priorities.       

   Volleyball was not my first interaction with an athlete’s life , because I started playing tennis when I was only four years old. Tennis started as fun, but then it became a part of my life; I had intense practices every day and competitions almost every weekend, so I can easily say that tennis helped me become more responsible and it made me get used to tiring practices and also, to always work hard for my goals, because an athlete life is hard and tiring . Due to the fact that I have a family full of  successful volleyball players, I started playing volleyball as a hobby, as a way to communicate with my teammates, my friends when I was not on the tennis court. After a while, I fell in love with this sport, maybe because it is in my blood, but the fact that I was having volleyball practice always succeeded to put a smile on my face. Even if I am new to the American system for college volleyball recruiting, because I lived for 16 years in Romania, I find it so interesting and I think that it makes the young athletes work so much harder for their goals. My ultimate goal for college is to play at a D1,D2 or D3 level. I can say that this movement to the USA helped to become more friendly, communicative. It improved the ability to learn a foreign language much faster and also the ability to adapt to changes such as moving to another part of the country to play for a college. Also as an athlete, you have to be an ambitious person, to work hard for everything, to acknowledge your values and not settle for less, and always to improve because you are always in the process of growing and developing as your career goes along.

     Besides my love for sports, school always had a special place in my heart, yes I know it sounds weird, but I actually enjoy school. I like learning new stuff about what I am interested in and that is why I am interested in studying biochemistry in college. I can also say that I am a perfectionist, the hardest person to please is myself, I like to go hard on myself especially when I know that my potential is so much higher. Another trait of mine is ambition, because I always try to keep my academics up, and so far I managed to succeed both in Romania and the USA. In such a short time since I came in, I managed to adapt so fast, if I am being honest from what I am doing in highschool so far, the school system is so much easier here, but in a good way, because you have more time for you, time to develop your passion, your hobbies and not to have full homework days like I had back there in my country.  I am also a hardworking, responsible person, people can always count on me, because I won’t ever let them down, even on the volleyball court or in school.               

     I think that what makes me stand out from other players, is my ambition and my ability to work hard to achieve my goals, I am always willing to get better in everything I do and I like to work with honest people, I am a person that accepts criticism and advices, because they are making me want to demonstrate myself that I am able do it. Also coming from another country, which I lived in for 16 years of my life, helps me because I may have a different vision, a different way of thinking that some may consider interesting and unique.