Alicia Bozeman '17 Recruiting Profile

My name is Alicia Bozeman. I am a junior in high school and I live in Houston, Texas. I love to bake anything and everything- cakes, pies, cookies, pastries-you name it, and I hope to open my own bakery in the future. Not unlike baking, volleyball has been a part of my life, a part of who I am, for as long as I can remember. This sport has not only taught me how to be a teammate, leader, friend, and great listener, but also how to speak up for myself and have my own voice. Growing up, I was the most shy and quiet kid everywhere I went. At school, girl scouts, YMCA practices, and piano lessons it was a constant struggle for my teachers, coaches, and peers to get me to say anything at all. However, I had to learn to use my voice pretty quickly once I realized I really enjoyed playing volleyball. It took years for me to fully emerge from my comfort zone and no longer be "the quiet girl" on my teams. The adversity I've experienced in the game through coaches and teammates over-looking me completely because I wasn't loud enough has instilled in me a sense of patience and hard-set determination.

The eleven years I spent in public school gave me great social experiences, but I never felt that I was absorbing the information I was being given. I never felt like I was truly learning. This bothered me greatly because I enjoy learning, so I decided to try out home schooling. I found a great community of families that felt similar to the way I did and have been extremely pleased with the education I've been getting through an academic support group and dual credit classes at my local community college.

Volleyball isn't a way of life for me. It's not a ritual or a hobby. Volleyball is where I became me, where I learned my most important life lessons and where I feel most at home. I love the sport for how much it has taught me and for how much more I know I can learn from it.