Sophomore JV girls basketball player Guadalupe Barbosa  not only plays basketball but just recently started to play tennis.

Barbosa has  played basketball for the past seven years, starting in third grade.  “I started playing basketball because I wanted something that would distract me and keep me stress free,” she said.

She is a starter for the JV team at both guard and forward. And although she is still new to tennis, she has worked hard to become a starter on that team as well.

Basketball helps Barbosa to stay motivated when it comes to her education.  “Playing basketball pushes me to do better in school and stay out of trouble,” she said.

Usually, being a student-athlete isn’t easy; but for Barbosa it’s not all that challenging because of the way she manages her time. “On away games I do some of my homework while the freshman team plays,” she said. “Then after I play, I finish my homework during the varsity game.”

Although Barbosa feels a lot of pressure to do well as a starter, she loves the intensity of the game and what the sport has provided her with.

Basketball has positively affected her in many different ways, bringing her new relationships with different people. “Basketball opened me up to meet new people,” Barbosa said.

She will never forget the moment when she started for the first time and played the entire game against McNair. She scored eight points, which helped secure a win for her team. What meant the most to her that night wasn’t her starting position, but the pride her coach of seven years had in her after the game.

“Coach told me it was the best she has ever seen me play in six years,” she said. “She was really proud of me.”

Despite the fact that Barbosa does not see a professional career for herself in the future, she plans to continue to play throughout the rest of high school and college as well.