Leah Pearlman '15 Recruiting Profile

Volleyball came into my life out of the blue, I woke up one day and decided, I want to be a volleyball player. I started with YMCA leagues in the 6th grade and realized my love for the sport was enormous, much more than I intended. That summer the Olympics were on and I remember Kerri Walsh and Misty May winning the gold, I looked at my dad and said, "Dad, that's going to be me one day." Ever since, volleyball had become my life. I completely immersed myself, I played junior high, started club, went to any and every camp I could go to. It's gotten to a point where I even dream of playing volleyball, about an amazing save I'd make or acing a libero during a game. It wasn't long until I realized that I wanted to play volleyball for as long as I could and the obvious next step is college, my next goal on the large to-do list of mine.

I was that little girl who used to cry if I couldn't go to volleyball practice and although I don't cry anymore the feeling hasn't changed one bit. Volleyball is my escape from reality, when I'm playing it's as though nothing else in the world even matters, I just concentrate on one thing keeping the ball alive on my side and killing it on the other. I give 110% at every practice, my biggest competition is myself, I strive to be better than I was yesterday. For me, practice doesn't start when it's scheduled, I practice on my own, I practice for fun, I have a drive and work ethic that will beat talent. I take pride in being a leader on and off the court. I'm a go-getter, when I set goals, when I put my mind to it, I achieve them both academically and athletically.

Currently I am number 4 in my class, safe to say that the work ethic I bring to the court is also applied to the books. I am one of very few kids who can honestly say I love school, if there was a job where all I'd have to do was learn the rest of my life, I'd be signed up in a heart beat! Speaking of beating hearts, I aspire to become a heart surgeon. Right now I am taking health courses outside of my Honors classes to become a certified Pharmacy Technician along with my High School Diploma. I want to go to a college where I can major in medicine and for graduate school to either go to The University of California of San Francisco or John Hopkins University, both being some of the nations best medical schools. After completing medical school I wish to specialize as a heart surgeon and save lives for the rest of my life.