Belene Rodriguez '22 Recruiting Profile

My name is Belene Rodriguez and I am a junior at Santa Cruz High School (Class of 2022). I am currently a proud member of Santa Cruz Water Polo Club and have been for over three years. I was first introduced to swimming at the age of  7 years old which I have done competitively to date. My love for the water extended from the pool to open water when my parents moved to Santa Cruz in 2013,  and I was given the opportunity to participate in the  city's junior lifeguard program during the summer. The lifeguard program taught me many valuable lessons and  helped me continue my swimming conditioning during the summer. As a result, during my high school freshman year, I swam at  the Central Coast Section (CCS) and competed in the 100 Free, 50 Free, 100 Fly, and 100 Breaststroke, along with two relays. Before that, I competed in many Junior Olympic and Far Western meets. I appreciate everything the lifeguard program has given to me over the years I attended that I decided to volunteer the summer prior to my sophomore year to serve as a member of the Captain Corp and teach  the new generation of  junior and little guards everything I had learned. 

The summer before my freshman year I was encouraged to try out for the water polo team and I have loved and enjoyed  being part of my high school and club team. Towards the end of my freshman season, I got moved up to play on the varsity team, which I have been a starter on ever since. During my sophomore water polo season, our team qualified for CCS. In our first game, we played the top seed and I was able to lead my team to the semi-finals and final game. Ever since I started playing club water polo, I've had the  privilege to serve as a starter during all of our games and tournaments, most importantly, Junior Olympics in Irvine (2019), in positions such as sprinter, hole set, and a utility.  Most recently,  the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic put my commitment to the sport of water polo to the test. I am happy to  share that this challenge  has only  made me  a  stronger player.  As pools  began to close  in March, I returned to the  ocean with my friends and teammates to continue our training,  and  I have also  taken advantage of dryland strength training. Overall this pandemic has taught me that when there is a will there's a way, and I am making my way to realize my dream to play collegiate water polo. 

 In college, I plan to continue my education  and learn more about athletics and corporate law to eventually become a lawyer who advocates for diversity in sports. My mother migrated from Mexico when she was fifteen years old and seeing her work hard to  finish her bachelors degree (and help her nine siblings do the same) while working full time to ensure my brother and I were provided the opportunity to participate in the sports we love. Her actions have inspired me to  work hard to one day achieve my educational goals and my dream to compete collegiately. My personal experience as a person of color who loves to compete in aquatic sports, where there is not  much diversity, has also inspired me to educate myself, as one day I would love to achieve my dream to build an aquatic center in my mom's hometown in Mexico, and provide a swimming  and water polo program for the community. Overall, I hope I will have the chance to help others and continue to make our society a better place while doing something I am passionate about. My determination and drive mixed with my ability to always stay positive and encourage my teammates has had a huge impact in all of my academic and athletic endeavors. Moving forward towards college and the future, I am ready to apply my discipline, endurance, and determination to excel with you!