Davia Casillas '14 Recruiting Profile

“You ALWAYS have more to give Davia! Let's go! Keep going!”, as I'm striving for a breath and the little ounce of energy I have to finish the soccer drill, I think of what's next? Time; it's what made your history, allows you to live today, and can determine or change your future. Let's start with the first time frame; My history. My name is Davia Casillas, I was born in Santa Maria, California. At an early age my parents got a divorce, which changed my life. My mom took my older brother and I to Colorado for a few years, however due to money issues I have multiple homes. As I grew up, my mother had two more children, but still had money issues. While my mother was out working I had many of the motherly responsibilities. This caused me to grow up quicker than any child should, however, I thank her for that because it opened my eyes and showed me that anything is possible if you work hard for what you want. Every time I wanted to give up on helping with my bothers, my mother would remind me that if I go to school and get a steady career, I wont have the same problems she has to deal with. This is why SCHOOL comes first in my life.

The second chapter of my history, is my motivation. Ever since I as little I was extremely competitive. This is where the love of my life, soccer, came in. I have been playing since I was 4 and I don’t plan on quitting any time soon. My mother made it clear that if I don’t do well in school, I don’t get to play soccer. That was not even an option for me, soccer meant and means everything to me. Growing up I tried and did anything to improve on my soccer skills; I have played on multiple traveling teams and played in older age groups so I can increase my skills. As a freshman I was made varsity as a starter and made honorable mention in the desert valley players. Throughout my high school life I have gotten many awards in soccer and many awards in school, just because those two goals were a necessity in my life.

“Hey, what are your plans for today?” Well lets answer this question, shall we? Today I am a 4.0 student, a worker at Cold Stone Creamery, a soccer athlete, and a hardworking sister/daughter. Just like my history, school still comes first and college is my main focus; I try to take difficult classes, hold a 4.0, pass my AP tests, and prepare for the next level of schooling. Unfortunately, my mom still has financial problems, which is why I’ve been working since my junior year. I knew I was going to have to work at an early age, so I got my license my sophomore year and applied for jobs. I work at Cold Stone Creamery and I pay for most of my schooling needs and spending money when it comes to my traveling soccer team. As far as soccer goes, I play on three soccer teams and I’m captain of my high school team. With all these events happening in my life, time management became an important quality I have mastered. I’m rarely home now because of my busy schedule but, I still take care of my littler brothers and help my mother out whenever I get the chance or whenever she asks for help.

What's next? This is the question I ask myself everyday. As far as my future goes, I'm not sure on what is going to happen, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have an idea of what I want or what I am aiming for. Ever since I was 7, I knew I wanted to be a photojournalist for National Geographic. I love photography, traveling, and giving insight on experiences from different areas of the world. College is the first step in giving me a career that I knew I would love and helping me reach the goal Ive wanted since I was little. In college I plan on majoring in either communications or sociology and minoring in journalism and photography. My plan is to open eyes to what the world consists of; nature, countries, animals, people, and many undiscovered mysteries that can be found. I want to show how people can make changes, how people with different cultures live, how there is just so much in the world that not many people know about. I would love to make a difference and I believe National Geographic does that for many people. To make it to the top, however, you need college as your first step.

Time is a valuable thing, but it shapes who you are and how you will be. I am a hardworking, self-motivated, independent, determined young female that knows what she wants and plans on accomplishing her dreams. I have made many accomplishes in my life with school awards, soccer achievements, and challenging every obstacle that I’ve came up against. As far as my career goes and the general love I have for journalism and photography, I believe I can be a great aspect to college and I wouldn’t let anyone down. “TIME IS UP! Bring it in. Get some water. Practice is over!”, sweating and exhausted, my coach yells those last words and just like that, one practice is over and the next day begins.