High school lacrosse players in Martinez hopeful as they wait to hear from colleges
MARTINEZ -- As the end of the academic year approaches, high school seniors face a waiting game like no other as they anxiously hope to hear from colleges where they applied.
Some await official acceptance letters, while others have their fingers crossed that they'll be taken off of a waiting list and allowed to attend the school of their choice.
Sophia Evans is a senior at Alhambra High School in Martinez and also the captain of her school's lacrosse team. Her final year at Alhambra has been hectic.
"Definitely juggling sports and school is hard," she said. "Sometimes I definitely pull some all-nighters."
But Evans says her hard work has paid off. Now instead of lacrosse, she's playing a waiting game to find out which college she will get to attend.
"Applying was really stressful, but then the waiting was definitely hard. You do so much and dedicate your entire life into getting into school and going through the admissions process. Was it all worth it" questioned Evans.
John Sasaki has been coaching high school girls lacrosse for eleven years. If he looks familiar, its probably because he also works as the spokesperson for the Oakland Unified School District as well.
"Being a teenager now is so much more complicated than when we were young. They are students and athletes and obviously students first, but they are also doing a lot of extracurricular activities," Sasaki said. "Some of my girls tomorrow night will be in a play."
Jennifer Lin is also waiting to hear from the college of her choice.
"Do I really have to wait this six to seven months to know if I get to go here or not?" Lin said. "I got rejected from Stanford and Berkeley because there were so many applicants."
"There is definitely a lot of pressure," Evans added.
The good news is that Evans told KPIX shortly after this story was shot that she got into UC Santa Barbara.
It's one day at a time and one game at a time for this team of lacrosse players who are ready to take it on in life.
"The stakes are so much higher now," Sasaki said. "They are great young people and it is about giving them guidance. I got some guidance when I was younger, but not as much as I like giving them. And so that is why I do this."
