Ella Park commits to play volleyball at Brown

JUNIOR SETS SIGHTS ON BROWN

Ella Park commits to play DI volleyball for Ivy League school

SYDNEY GLEASON REPORTER

Park made it onto the McLean High School varsity team her freshman year and started

Walking onto the court for the McLean Youth Volleyball League focusing on reaching out to schools and tryouts, nervous fourth grader Ella Park never would have getting recruited. expected that seven years later she would be committed to an Ivy “At the middle to the end of my League school to for a sport that started off as a casual pastime. freshman season, I started my recruitment

In elementary school, Park’s expectations process by for volleyball weren’t high. However, after emailing my top playing on a recreational team for two years, 15 schools. My Park grew interested in a higher level of I FEEL SO BLESSED TO goal has always competition. She joined her first travel team HAVE COMPLETED been to go to a in sixth grade and became more serious about the sport by practicing at a more intense level than ever before. The travel team offered a MY PROCESS, AND EVEN THOUGH IT highly academic institution as well as a place more competitive environment, setting Park WAS SO STRESSFUL, with a competitive up for bigger things in her future. IT WAS WORTH IT.” volleyball program,

“When I started playing club in sixth grade, so I wanted to talk I knew that I would want to continue playing - ELLA PARK to schools that fit for the rest of middle and high school and JUNIOR those expectations,” never even considered that playing in college Park said. was a realistic possibility,” said Park, who is Due to the now a junior. recruitment process being lengthy and

Once she began playing for her travel team, Park’s opportunities challenging, Park has had to make a lot opened up tremendously. Since then, she has been on multiple teams of sacrifices. High school is a time to gain and has even played with teammates above her age group. In middle experiences that people don’t necessarily school, Park had to learn how to balance her time and energy, putting get any other time in life. Park’s dedication in hard work on the volleyball court while also trying to get stellar to the sport and to school has taken away grades. some of those experiences. She had to take

“Ella’s middle school years were particularly hectic. She had the ACTs and SATs earlier than most high volleyball practice and tournaments, basketball practice and schoolers and has missed out on a lot of tournaments, as well as piano practice,” her mother, Angie Park, said. social activities because of volleyball and “This was all in addition to her schoolwork, which [was] the main schoolwork. priority.” “It took a lot of hard work on Ella’s part: visiting schools, talking with several coaches on a weekly basis, Zooming with potential teammates, virtual tours, taping practices, putting together videos, playing in front of college coaches at big tournaments, etc.,” her father, Richard Park, said. Thanks to Park’s talent and determination, she eventually got an offer from a prestigious school that drew her interest: Brown University. Her academic motivation and volleyball skills finally paid off. Now that Park is committed, she has to keep up the hard work and maintain a high GPA until her senior year, IN THE ZONE — Ella Park shows off her skills as a setter when she will officially apply to Brown. at a home game against Yorktown in 2019. “I am able “I still am in partial disbelief because I not only get to compete to touch the ball almost every time it comes to our at the Division I level,” Park said, “but I can also receive an amazing side of the net,” Park said. (Photo courtesy of Kent Arn old) academic experience, something I have always dreamed of.”