By: Erin Federigan

SAN JOSE,  CALIF.— Deziree Lazaro, a graduating senior, has played volleyball throughout high school, while taking 3 AP Classes shared her experience as a student athlete.

Lazaro started off competing in track and transitioned into volleyball in the 7th grade. She not only played school volleyball but club as well, playing at Morgan Hill Volleyball Club where she frequently played in tournaments all across the country. 

Now in her senior year, she’s accomplished being captain of the varsity volleyball team and an honor roll student maintaining her 3.8 GPA. Though, Lazaro firmly believes a big factor in her success was how well she managed her time, “I took two AP’s in my junior year and I had to balance my time properly by doing my homework right after school and studying after practice,” Since freshman year, Lazaro’s had a consistent routine to get her work done on time and feel prepared for the next day. Right after school, She makes sure to immediately start on her homework and try to have it done before practice. This helps her have the time to prepare for tests right after practice without having to worry about staying up late.

Lazaro believes in being a student before an athlete, so she understands the many barriers that might come in the way of a student wanting to become a future athlete. She says, “If you can’t manage your time properly, don’t have a proper sleep schedule and aren’t on track with studying. Then, you should focus on fixing those small habits first.”

Lazaro says, “Being an athlete is a commitment and if you can’t commit to being at practice to study or do homework then you shouldn’t be an athlete at all.” For school, practice is every day. Due to this, it forces you to do your homework consistently to maintain a proper sleep schedule. For upcoming student athletes, this might be a major thing for future athletes to consider.

Right now, Lazaro is currently captain of the varsity volleyball team and has high hopes of going to college to pursue her love for cinematography.