Grace Bobyk '24 Recruiting Profile

Thank you for your interest. I am an international student and a passionate water polo player. As the daughter of Canadian diplomats, I have lived in 4 different countries: Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Jamaica. I was born in Ottawa, Canada and that is where my water polo journey began. I was inspired to join the sport by my dad who played high school water polo (and who also was a goalie), and so I joined the Ottawa-based Capital Wave club team in 2019 when I was 13-years-old. I instantly fell in love with the sport, learned the fundamentals of the game, and built some lifelong friendships.

After my family moved to California from Canada on a posting in the summer of 2020, I continued my water polo journey with another competitive club - the Rose Bowl Water Polo Club in Pasadena. Playing with Rose Bowl has heightened my desire to play at a competitive level and my coaches have pushed me to develop into the disciplined and committed water polo player I am today. Water polo has allowed me to build amazing connections in the water and out, including with my coaches, my teammates and other families. Being a goalie has allowed me to learn the game at a deep level by observing the field and helping direct the defense. 

I attend a French-English international school called the International School of Los Angeles where I am doing the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme this year and next. The IB programme promotes many characteristics that I feel also apply to playing water polo. These include being knowledgeable, being a good communicator, being principled, and being a risk-taker. Being a good communicator in the water is key to success, but it also leads to strong friendships out of the water. I also believe that being principled in any sport is very important and having respect for officials, coaches, the opposing team and one’s own teammates is vital for proper sportsmanship. A strong sense of fairness and respect for the rules is also very important. Water polo is a community, and I want to make it one that thrives with respect, kindness and justice. 

My high school is very small and there are not many sports teams as facilities are limited. As a result, I do not play water polo with a high school team, so this past high school girls’ season I instead trained with a local high school in my area (La Cañada HS). Apart from club water polo, I played volleyball with my high school. Volleyball helped me develop leadership in sports and develop further my communication abilities. I speak three languages fluently (English, French and Spanish) due to my international background, so I understand the importance of good communication. 

My strong sense of justice has led me to want to study the field of law. For my undergraduate degree, I plan to pursue a Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts at a school in California or the East Coast of the U.S. or Canada. In terms of my career goals, I want to become a sports and entertainment lawyer so that I can help athletes advance in their professional journeys. 

The highlight of my water polo career so far was qualifying to play at the ODP National Championship Event in Northern California (03/24/2023-03/26/2023) for the Coastal Zone. I made many new friendships, ones that I know will last me well beyond my high school years. Additionally, the atmosphere at the tournament was unlike any I've ever played at. It was great to be surrounded by people who shared my passion for this sport. It was truly an honor representing the CST Blue Zone team at this event and I look forward to the new opportunities that this event has opened up for me.

I am very committed to continue to grow as a water polo player during my final year of high school. I love this sport and am looking forward to continuing to play at university. I am passionate about creating a welcoming and respectful community for everyone in my club and beyond. I am confident that hard work, along with doing something I love, will teach me many valuable lessons that I will take with me beyond my playing years and into my adult life.