- 2022 Spotlight
Personal Statement
My name is Maria Agathokli and I’m 16 years old. I live in a small island, called Cyprus, and I’ve been playing the sport of volleyball since the age of six. Volleyball has influenced my life in so many ways and continues to do so in every step of my journey. Thanks to my parents, I’ve always been a sports person, trying out a wide variety of sports, but when it came to pick one, volleyball was my choice, without a second thought. And that’s something I’ll always be thankful for.
I’m currently playing as a starter libero of my high school team with which we won 1st place in the country, 3rd place in the Panhellenics, and 6th place in the International Championship, held in Brazil in June 2022. I also play as a starter outside hitter and opposite for my club team, earning a 2nd place in the National U18 Championship. Having the opportunity to experience the game from different positions, I became more versatile as a player. Even though I’m not the tallest in any of my teams, my work ethic, athleticism, passion, and love for the game overshadow my lack of height.
Academically, I graduated from middle school and my first year of high school with the highest grade possible in Cyprus, 20/20, equivalent to 4.0 GPA. Heading into my second year of high school, I was offered an academic and athletic scholarship from a private English school - The Grammar School, Limassol -in my hometown, to join a team that could develop my game more. Sacrificing friendships and moving from a public Greek school to a private English school was definitely a challenge, but I’m proud to say I made it. Taking this risk has fulfilled my life with memories, competitions and people that have had a huge positive impact on me, on and off the court. I believe that studying in the US is the best way to combine both athletics and academics and a place where I can grow into the person, player, and student I want to be.
My love and appreciation for playing the game of volleyball every single day has taught me more about myself than anything ever has. It taught me how to get back up after falling, never giving up, enjoying the journey, enjoying the game. It taught me that success is best when it’s being shared, and it showed me how far I can go with hard work and dedication. I love learning more about the game, I love being competitive, asking questions, growing, and grinding. I met a lot of amazing people through this sport, different coaches I’ve learned to adapt to, lifelong friends, and my second family, also known as my teammates. I hope I can pursue my dream of becoming a student athlete at a US college and I’m looking forward to the rest of the ride that volleyball has to offer.
year: 2021-2022
