Amelia Cikacz '27 Recruiting Profile

Work ethic, leadership, resilience, respect and courage are the values martial arts instilled in me at an early age.  Competitiveness and indominable spirit; those I was born with.  This combination lead to me being ranked one of the nation’s top black belt martial artists. I competed both nationally and internationally.  Over the past 11 years, martial arts prepared me to become the athlete I am today, confident but with no ego.  Although I continue to train, I have reached all of the personal goals I set for myself in karate. 

 

I started playing recreational volleyball three years ago at the local Boys and Girls Club for fun, to offset the seriousness of my martial arts training.  It was important for to me to learn what it meant to be part of a team after competing individually for so long.  I immediately fell in love with volleyball and the team atmosphere. It didn’t take long before that competitive spirit set in and I started to take it more seriously.  First stop after Boys and Girls Club was making the high School team.  As my high school competes in Division 1 athletics, earning a spot on this team was a challenge.  It was a great first season with my high School and I wanted to continue to train.  I tried out for club team where I was able to work with players and coaches statewide who were more driven.  This experience took me from an average player to one with a noticeable and strong skillset on the court.  Sophomore year tryouts were even more brutal, but I was prepared having trained year-round.  I earned the Coach’s Award this past season for my attitude, dedication, performance, coachability and communication on the court. I arrive early to every practice, I help set up, I cheer for every player at practice and on game day. I have become a valued, trusted and respected teammate.  I continue to challenge myself and take every training opportunity available.  I now play club volleyball at the national level. I am so excited for the challenges this level of play will offer me.  There are many players with great skills but what sets me apart is also having the heart. I bring intensity, drive and commitment to every practice. 

 

The skills I’ve learned as an athlete have helped me in the classroom.  I am an honor roll student enrolled in multiple honors level courses.  Balancing multiple sports and academics has not always been easy but I have the discipline to make it work.  At the high school, I serve as an elected member of the student senate and volunteer many hours fundraising for our class as well as planning and hosting school events.  I am also a peer mentor and help incoming Freshman and new students throughout the year to ensure a successful transition, a position I was chosen for by the Dean.  In addition to karate and volleyball I also play varsity tennis for the high school.  Outside of school I have demonstrated leadership in the community organizing several successful fundraisers for the local animal rescue league and the Karate Kids Kicking Cancer project.  Over the years I have volunteered hundreds of hours assistant teaching karate classes and hold an official title of “Sensei”.  I also hold two black belts, one in Goju-Ryu Karate Do and another Okinawan Kobudo.

 

Although I have not determined a major yet, I look forward to finding a school that will allow me to challenge myself both in sports and academically.  I look forward to providing that school a solid teammate and future leader.