Melia Ferraro '24 Recruiting Profile

I know that I want to continue playing volleyball. After playing for 4 years of indoor and beach, I know that my volleyball career has only begun. Playing varsity at my high school and continuing to play through the club has shown me the excitement of playing at a higher level. Beach volleyball in the summer has shown me that there are always bigger challenges and that these difficulties add more layers and elements to the game that make it all the more fun. The team environment -- whether its just me and one other person in the sand, or the camaraderie of a twelve-plus-player team indoors-- has been an added bonus to the adrenaline rush and love for competition. As the team captain and setter on my club team, I work my best to improve not only my own skills but also put my teammates in the best position to play their hardest. 

Actively seeking ways to improve my athletic skills, I participate in local clinics put on by high school and club coaches that allows me to refine my abilities in ways that practice doesn't. High-level club tournaments have taught me the importance of playing solid defense as a setter; my primary focus of these clinics is to improve passing and defense. This also allows me to remain confident in my ability to play DS or Libero if my team needs it. As I further my volleyball journey, one-on-one sessions with a personal setting coach have proved endlessly valuable. I have noticed immense progress since I began private sessions and can only expect my setting abilities to improve. 

Academically, I pride myself on maintaining a 4.0 and challenging myself to take AP classes, yet prioritize my passions, taking Biomedical Science, Sports Medicine, and Chemistry. I've taken these classes to explore the different fields of science; they've helped me realize my passion lies in microbiology, which I plan to major in after high school. 

While balancing multiple STEM-based extracurriculars, AP classes, and athletics keeps me busy, I have learned endless lessons in teamwork and self-confidence. These lessons begin in Sisters and STEM -- a club started by my peers with the goal of reaching out to our middle schools and teaching girls about the amazing opportunities in STEM offered at CVHS while creating a community that they can trust. Being a core leader in this club has put me in a position to use my knowledge of STEM to work with a team to create STEM-based curriculums that are easy for middle schoolers to understand. This teamwork means late hours after school working to make our lessons to the kids perfect, but they've shown me that patience, listening, and compromise create a fulfilling outcome that we can collectively be proud of.