Nevaeh Castillo-Monsibaez '20 Recruiting Profile

I've been swimming since I was five years old, it was practically my destiny to become a water polo player. Since I was not completely sure about playing water polo until I was about nine years old, I didn't start until around the age of 10. The moment I was put in front of a goal and a ball was placed in my hand, I knew that water polo was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I made a goal the summer before my freshman year that I was going to work my hardest to make my school's varsity water polo team.  At the moment I am still trying out but that is only a short term goal I hope to achieve.  A long term goal that I have had since I began playing water polo is to get a full-ride scholarship to a college, such as UCLA, Cal Poly, or UCSB, and play water polo for one of their teams. I have been dedicated to playing water polo for a college like these and have shaped my education and my lifestyle around this goal.  I knew that getting good grades and sacrificing time spent with friends, to go to extra practices and do extra studying would be worth it because it will get me to where I am trying to go.  I have a growth mindset when it comes to things such as my education and water polo.  Anytime I fail I look at it as an opportunity to better myself and never make the same mistake again. The idea has been in my head since day one to become an amazing student and water polo player by speaking to my fixed mindset thoughts, such as "I can't" and talking back with a growth mindset voice saying "I can't, yet".