Sophie Scott '22 Recruiting Profile

Since most of my stats and volleyball information is listed on my profile, I figured I’d change my essay to include some information about me that you can’t get from numbers or the volleyball court. My name is Sophia Elizabeth Scott but everyone calls me Sophie, or Sophs. I have two big brothers who played football, basketball and golf but their main sport was lacrosse in high school and college. They are my biggest fans and attend as many games as they can. My dad was aslo a die-hard basketball player in youth, high school and college, but now has retired his life-long sport to play golf every chance he can. My mother, not an athlete, grew up behind the scenes in sports and is still a fan to this day. She has been a volunteer for youth sports for over 20 years and is great with all the details that support sports like food/water, travel, team parties and making sure us athletes have the things we need to stay healthy (but she doesn’t know a thing about volleyball.)

So for forever I thought, and so did all my family and freinds, that I would study marine biology in college and work towards world shark preservation. And while I am still a huge fan of sharks and will probably someday work to help eliminate shark finning, I have decidied I want to study psychology and mental health. I have always had an interest in mental health work and now that I am part of the Advisory Council for CEVA, which is our regional USAV association, I have been able to apply my interest. We have been creating and implementing mental health awareness in our region and helping athletes with resources and assistance. We have also been working to educate our fans and the public about mental health issues in our area, and how mental health affects athletes. I am looking forward to continuing this work and studies in college.

Speaking of education, I attend a small progressive school in Portland, Oregon that places emphasis on creating inspried learning, global community and real-world expereince. What that means is that I work closely with my educators, peers and our community to work hands-on in everything we do. Experiential course work is key to our real-world learning and knowledge, and participation locally, nationally and world-wide. One of my favorite learning experiences was spending a few weeks in a remote (off the grid) village in Costa Rica for full Spanish emersion but also to help build an aqueduct for the village. There were no “buildings” just huts with no doors or walls, and we slept in netted tents on the floor. There was fruit off the trees to eat and streams to bathe in. The nearest town was 3-hours by boat. The life lessons from this trip are too many to write about, but obviously it was one of those expereinces I will never forget!

Things you may want to know about me: I am intense and serious on the court but like to have fun too, and pretty goofy when doing pretty much anything else. I study film a lot and watch volleyball on TV.  I love music and listen to all kinds, years, and types of musicians and bands. I love to dance and sing, I have an art room and really enjoy all my art classes: jewelry making, pottery, painting, etc. I love all animals and have two labs, but I would have more dogs if I could. I do not like spiders and I have a fear of birds because I was attacked by one when I was little.

I love the “family” aspect of volleyball, not just the sisterhood on the team and coaches being our mentors, but seeing volleyball friends when we travel, or as my opponents and meeting new people every game we have. That is the main reason I want to play volleyball in college and perhaps afterwards: to continue and grow my sports-family and friendships in the sport I love!