Entering my first year of high school, I was confident I wanted to play volleyball—not only did I love the sport, but before my arrival I caught word of a rumor that “Interlake volleyball is getting a 6’2 freshman!” While I am not actually 6’2 (5’11, close enough) I felt I had to fulfill expectations to the best of my ability. What I encountered during this season was an incredible group of girls working together to play highly competitive volleyball. Though I look back on that experience very fondly, with an abbreviated season from our hybrid, post-pandemic schedule, and no real semblance of the school’s dynamic or culture, my understanding of what the future would hold at that time was greatly obstructed.

My first official experience of high school was my sophomore year, 2021, now with in-person learning. My nerves from the thought of having to build an entirely new social circle dulled quickly as the Fall volleyball
season began. There was an immediate bond throughout the team—even more significantly here than from the season prior. Despite our variety of backgrounds, differences in class, or even preexisting friendships, there seemed to be an overarching consensus that forming a connection with every person on the team was a priority. We attributed a ton of our success to this chemistry, pushing us through stressful five-set matches and dawn-till-dusk tournament days.

After finishing our last games at State, the season came to a close. As the glamor from the preceding months faded into a memory and my day-to-day lifestyle calmed, it did not take long for me to see the reality of my school.

Interlake is unique. For those who aren’t familiar, the International Baccalaureate (IB) program is a rigorous academic curriculum where students are required to learn and test in a broad scope of subjects, earning a diploma if they pass. Traditional IB is completed through the student’s junior and senior year, but with Accelerated IB, students can earn the diploma early by starting the program their sophomore and finishing their junior year. Interlake offers a trifecta—General Education, Traditional IB, and Accelerated IB. While this variety of educational pathways offers many opportunities, it has also produced a clear element of disunion. This problem is exacerbated by the reinforcement of these divisions: there is minimal overlap between General Education and IB, and even Traditional and Accelerated IB hardly intersect, despite involving the same classes in many cases. Distinctions structurally led to distinctions socially, and now stereotypes and stigmas run rampant between the different cohorts of Interlake.

Being in Accelerated IB, playing a high school sport has been one of the only consistent opportunities for me to branch out beyond the people in my particular curriculum. I have been able to form amazing relationships with people on separate paths, sustaining and cherishing them throughout my four years. And I am not alone in this experience—I have witnessed friends and peers connect with people from all different grades and groupings, starting solely from the court or the field. At Interlake, I’ve found there is more power in playing a sport beyond just staying active and engaging in competition—it has become a vessel for mending divisions and expanding empathy across differences.

I am so grateful for Interlake. I’ve been able to meet incredible people, gain supportive mentors, challenge myself academically, and grow immensely as a person; I have experienced these things to such a degree that I don’t believe I could have anywhere else. But there are changes to be made, and we are changemakers.

One of the many reasons I love being a part of WIAA LEAP is because we get to actively address systems and give voice to making changes. And one of the many reasons I love Interlake is it has shown me that while we wait for systems to change, I have a clear and powerful action step. It is my individual responsibility to find ways to reach across barriers—to be a bridge builder. We can all do this through sports, clubs, activities, and interest. Building community is exciting, challenging, and there for the willing. Because the great news is you don’t actually have to be 6’2 to get in the game.