The daunting feeling that comes with the thought of college is something that almost everyone faces. The overwhelming amount of applications to go through, the countless personal essays to write, and the unease that we feel when thinking, “what if I don’t get in?” Luckily, Audrey Park and Malia Suehiro no longer have to face this pressure.
Both Park and Suehiro have received scholarships and have verbally committed to colleges – as juniors. This achievement does not come without significant effort and hard work, which proves to be true since both Park and Suehiro have been playing their sports since they were young.
“I started playing golf when I was around eight years old,” Park said. “But I didn’t really start playing competitively until I was at least ten.”
As Park got older, she started participating in different tournaments across the nation.
“I’ve done a lot of local tournaments, but I’ve also done some that get me out of Washington which allow me to play with different types of people at different skill levels,” Park said.
According to Park, the different tournaments that Park participated in allowed her to gain exposure and engage in recruiting efforts from different colleges–like Gonzaga University.
“I went to Gonzaga for an official visit and after thinking about it, I decided I really liked it there,” Park said.
After waiting for some time, Park received news that Gonzaga would be offering her a scholarship.
“The scholarship is a full ride: partially academic and partially athletic scholarship,” Park said.
Park’s scholarship will allow her to play on Gonzaga’s golf team for four years, and Park is looking forward to it.
“Playing on a team makes golf such a fun experience for me, and it’s the people around me that influence that,” Park said.
Suehiro, a soccer player, feels the same way about the Liberty Girls’ Soccer team.
“Soccer has allowed me to meet new people and make friends that are like family now,” Suehiro said.
Similarly to Park, Suehiro has been playing her sport for a very long time.
“I started playing soccer when I was five and started doing tournaments when I got older,” Suehiro said.
As Suehiro got older, more opportunities arose for her to showcase her skills, and tournaments were perfect chances.
“My team goes to California a lot, and it’s a chance to get exposure from other college coaches,” Suehiro said.
At one of her tournaments located in Los Angeles, California, Suehiro was spotted by recruiters from Loyola Marymount University, also located in Los Angeles.
“I first met them in December 2023, and shortly after, we jumped on a Zoom meeting and discussed my goals for soccer,” Suehiro said.
After some more communication, Loyola Marymount University eventually offered Suehiro an athletic scholarship.
“After I committed, all of the pressure was off my back because I know this is the right school for me,” Suehiro said.
Countless hours of hard work and perseverance have resulted in an accomplishment to be extremely proud of. Both Suehiro and Park are looking forward to their futures and what the next steps of their lives hold.
“I feel ecstatic because this is something that I have been working towards for so much of my life, to see it finally pay off was pretty awesome,” Park said, “I’m excited for the future.”
