Burning the candle at both ends is what Bethany Ballesteros does.
The two-sport scholar-athlete would have it no other way. Well, maybe life in college will be a bit less busy. The Mililani senior signed with Lewis and Clark (Portland, Ore.) and plans to continue playing volleyball and jumping to the maximum on the track and field team.
Ballesteros also plans to take step away from campus leadership. She was part of the Mililani Student Council because a 4.0 grade-point average wasn’t enough.
“Overall, it’s a 4.075,” the student council president said.
Signing day was another reason to wake up early.
“I feel amazing. I got up at 5 a.m. and I was half asleep,” she said. “But I said, ‘I have to do this.’ “
Her older sister, Blythe, played volleyball for Lewis and Clark, and even laced up her basketball sneakers for one season there.
The persistence and the humility to ask for help were a unique combination that made Ballesteros a doer.
“Shout out to my teammates who always support me. They’re always so gung ho to do whatever I ask them to do. That’s very helpful because whenever I ask them to do something (for student council), they do it. We played together since sixth and seventh grade, so the passion and connection is really there,” she said.
On the terra flex, Ballesteros is a setter and defensive specialist. On the oval, she does the long jump, triple jump and high jump. There may be more time in college to train.
“I think it’ll be about the same since I won’t have council to take up most of my time. I’ll have more time to focus on sports and academics. It’ll be a lot harder in college, but I think I’m ready for the challenge,” she said.
Ballesteros plans to major in Environmental Studies.
Lockdown staples
Top 3 movies/shows
1. “Grey’s Anatomy”
2. “The Princess Switch”
3. “Mr. Iglesias”
Top 3 food/snack/drink
1. Funyuns
2. Sunflower seeds
3. BBQ Pringles
Top 3 music artists
1. Novo Amor – “Carry You”
2. Sleeping at Last – “Two”
3. Passenger – “The Long Road”
New life skill
“I learned how to change a tire.”
Shout outs
“Definitely shout out to my parents (Haphil and Brenda Ballesteros) who always support me through everything I do. I do a lot of things and they’re always supportive of me and my passions. All of my coaches from my high school coaches to my club coaches as well. They really pushed me to be the best person I can be on and off the court. I could not be who I am without them. They all inspired me to be the player and teammate I am today.”
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