Dionisia Payamps '22 Recruiting Profile

Growing up I watched my older sisters prosper and flourish in their ballet, tap and other dance classes, and although I would have loved to follow in their footsteps and it would have made my parents life easier, I was drawn to soccer and at a young age it became a passion of mine. After months of begging, my mother placed me in an after school soccer program. I was so excited to finally play the game I had watched for so many hours on tv. It was at that first practice when I looked around nervous, tying my shoes that I realized I was the only girl on the team. Despite the nervousness that rose in me I was even more motivated to prove to these boys, my parents, my sisters and myself that this sport was for me. I was living and breathing soccer; learning the art of the game and its perfected balance with aggression, I was in love.

It is now that I am able to reflect and look at how much soccer has positively impacted my life and helped me develop skills that are applicable both on and off the field. I have played with the same group of girls since the fourth grade and this team and the family that has developed over the years has helped me realize the person I am and who I want to continue to be. Through the many practices and games I have developed a love for helping and encouraging everyone on my team. I am thoughtful and supportive and pride myself on being selfless and a true team player. It is also through soccer that I have learned to accept and balance challenges while also maintaining my composure and staying dedicated to the task at hand.  This is one of the many traits that has helped me off of the field and in school. As a freshman in high school, I was challenged with adjusting to a new school environment and new class with a more rigorous curriculum and workload. School had typically come naturally to me and I soon realized that Geometry and Chemistry were a challenge for me. Rather than feel disparaged and give up I did what soccer taught me to do. I dedicated myself to these challenges, I juggled these multiple tasks, I stay composed and I gave these subjects more of my attention and hard work. I found online study resources and tutoring to understand these classes and do well. Not only do my grades show how hard I have worked in these classes, but my confidence is up and I truly realize that because of the many lessons learned on the soccer field I was able to overcome these obstacles.

Many people view me as someone who always reaches out for what they want, in this case I am reaching out for my future career. Soccer is something I was to pursue in my future and college is going to be one of the main pathways for this. Through the support of my family and educators, I hope to see consistent improvement in myself as these years go on.