Luna Moncada

• Extroverted
• Honest
• Empathetic
• Motivated
• Responsible

Regardless if I am on the court or off the court, I am always trying to maintain the right mindset to keep the team’s energy up to set the mood for our play. As the team captain, I make sure that my teammates know that they have my full support and try to lead them by promoting hard work and consistency. Lastly, I make sure that every move I make and every play I make has a purpose. I make sure that I am able to do my job as a player at 100% accuracy so that my teammates can then follow through and do their jobs on the court as well.

• Coach’s award Pakmen Black 16U
• Captaincy Pakmen Black 17U
• OVA Award of excellence

When receiving these awards I felt acknowledged and proud. I’ve always known since I was a kid that I wanted to be a leader and a role model, someone that others could follow and upon receiving these awards I knew that I was fully capable of pushing my team forwards and that I was willing to take on that responsibility as a captain. I say I felt acknowledged because the work that I put in outside of the court to become a better player on the court was being seen by the coaches and it motivated me to continue working harder to improve myself as a player.

Outside of sports, I enjoy spending time with my family and indulging in my personal hobbies like drawing, piano or reading. I like them because similar to volleyball my hobbies and quality time with friends and family give me an escape from school and studying, they’re quiet activities that I find peaceful and relaxing.

My older brother is my role model. I have been able to watch my brother grow into the successful, admired man he is today even after him battling through some very tough obstacles throughout his childhood. Although we may argue, I know that if I can trust anyone it would be my older brother. He has taught me to be consistent, Honest and independent which are qualities in myself that I now value greatly and find that others admire as well. He is intelligent, hardworking and I will always continue to try and reach the level of fulfillment he has reached today.

Figure Skating was a physically demanding sport and drove me to work very hard to gain the physique I needed so that I was able to get the results I wanted from my skills and jumps.

Track and Field is a very disciplined sport. When I played I learned other skills like the importance of breathing that I would later apply to volleyball.

Generally, extracurriculars are important to me because they allow me to practice managing my time between both sports, school and family. They also allow me to continue to express my competitiveness and love for winning and accomplishment regardless of what sport I am playing.

Finally, I think extracurriculars keep me happy, exercising and being able to do well at something you love makes you feel good about yourself and is a feeling that I will continue to look for in everything I do.

• Extended French Award
• Science Award

Upon receiving these awards I felt overjoyed and prideful, it was nice knowing that out of the entirety of my grade I was the person who managed to achieve the highest grades in those subjects. I was even happier to know that I received the French award In a specifically extended French program on top of already being bilingual (fluent in English and Spanish), making me one step closer to being trilingual (English, French and Spanish).

Currently, the program I am aiming for is Basic Medical Sciences or Health Sciences. I have always found myself drawn to the medical field and these programs would allow me to learn the basics to the career that grants me the chance to be able to help those in need.

I envision my life in university being the most enjoyable and memorable years of my school career yet. I believe that on top of studying something that I enjoy and learning topics I find interesting, the friends and memories I will create in university will make my years there fly by very quickly. I envision myself balancing volleyball and studies and enjoying the ups and downs of a serious education. I see myself enjoying my time with my team and the coaches; continuing to pursue the sport that I love and sharing the same passion that I have for volleyball with those on the team.