Courtesy of San Benito High School:
San Benito High School senior Ashley Maggiora will continue her field hockey and career in college, playing for the Sweet Briar College Vixens in Sweet Briar, Virginia.
She will major in engineering sciences with a minor in chemistry and also hopes to play lacrosse.Maggiora said Sweet Briar has an ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accreditation and the engineering classes “are usually only eight to 10 students, allowing for a lot of hands-on education and engagement with the professors.”
Having visited the college during the February break in her sophomore year, Ashley said she fell in love with the college.
“The campus is gorgeous and the entire college seems like a large family,” she said. “It had everything I was looking for, including my major, both of the sports I play: field hockey and lacrosse, and a small student body of only 300 total students to allow for more personalized learning.”
Signing with the Division 3 school is the culmination of years of hard work, particularly in high school.
“It certainly isn’t easy balancing academics and athletics,” said Maggiora, who added that “I have had to make some sacrifices, but in my opinion, at least, it has been totally worth it because it has helped open so many doors for me!”
With a goal of eventually working as a NASA engineer, Maggiora said “I would love to help put people back on the moon, or maybe even Mars one day.”
While she knows she will miss her friends and family as she continues her academic and athletic career on the other side of the country, Maggiora noted “it will be easy to keep in contact with Facetiming and texting.”
As for her fondest memory of her time as a Baler student-athlete, she said remembers a field hockey game against Gilroy High School last season.
“During the game, the entire team played absolutely amazingly and was completely in sync. We ended up tying against one of the best teams in our league. It was one of the best games we ever played and I was so proud to be a Baler!”
Maggiora, who also was the only female on the lacrosse team at SBHS, has some advice for up and coming athletes: “You need to make sure you get involved! There are so many different activities you can do at San Benito High School! I myself am in two clubs (Robotics Club and French Club), the field hockey team, and still maintain decent grades. There are so many clubs, sports, and activities available to you that there is definitely something for you. All the teachers are so accommodating to extracurriculars and it is totally possible to engage in anything and everything that interests you.”
