Ricardo Diaz

Member of not only the volleyball team, but also the water polo team at Woodbridge High, senior Ricardo Diaz juggles being a sports player for two different seasons. Water Polo season is in the fall while volleyball is in the spring which gives Diaz a chance to catch a break with playing sports rather than having an off season for both sports. 

“I consider playing volleyball and waterpolo as a big part of my social life. These sports were basically my only source of social interaction during my first two years here in Woodbridge,” Diaz said.

On top of his athletic diversity, Diaz points out that a language barrier was one of his biggest hardships during his time at Woodbridge High. By being on the water polo and volleyball team, he was able to overcome that with his teams and gain stronger social skills. 

“Personally, my main struggle playing water polo and volleyball is [that] they are not similar at all, so it was hard to grow in both sports at the same time,” said Diaz.

Even with the difference with both sports, Diaz conquered these difficulties in order to maintain his mental health and balance his life with his extracurriculars and his social life. 

As the water polo season comes to an end for the year and boys’ volleyball begins to pick up, Diaz hopes that his sports teams can make it to CIF and that he can take his academic skills to the next level at the University of California, Irvine to major in computer engineering.

Ashley Chang

As captain of the girls’ varsity basketball team, senior Ashley Cheng is also the president of Warrior Unified at Woodbridge High.

“A big part of it is knowing how to rely on other people like board members and teammates to help me facilitate the work so it’s just not me. Knowing how to rely on others and have good communication makes everything easier,” Cheng said.

Between leading the girls’ varsity basketball team and running Warrior Unified, a collaborative club on campus with the Special Needs program, Cheng is not shy to share her struggles. She shares that balancing different aspects of her life is always a hardship but does not fail to mention that it is always worth it in the end. 

“Time conflicts are also hard like scheduling and managing everyone’s schedules to line up with our agenda. However, the best part is definitely meeting all these new people and making so many friends. Having an impact on the people that I meet is a big part and makes the hard work worth it,” Cheng said. 

Cheng is hopeful for the upcoming months. She is now applying to colleges, planning on leading the girls’ basketball team to a league championship and continuing to manage her life on and off campus. 

Laila Nahas

Junior Laila Nahas is a member of the girls’ soccer team and Hope Squad, while also holding the position of Warrior Nation’s president on campus.  

“Being a part of multiple groups and clubs definitely taught me lessons on responsibility and time management,” Nahas said.

By being a part of these groups at school, Nahas is able to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance with her involvement on campus along with her teammates on and off her team.

“You get to have multiple places to belong to, different communities you can go to and be yourself. Knowing that everyone in these communities are there for the same reason [and seeing how] they love what they are doing, it’s really great and reassuring,” Nahas said.

With handling everything outside and inside of school, including her social life and extracurriculars, Nahas tries her best to balance everything out.

“I make sure to always make time for my mental health and social activities. Self care is very important to me. Taking some time to focus on yourself here and there is essential when balancing a lot in your life,” Nahas said. 

At the end of the day, Nahas is glad she has joined different communities on campus that have allowed her to grow and improve.