High school seniors look toward graduation, college life

Every year, hundreds of thousands of prospective students apply to 23 schools within the California State University system.

 For some, the university having their major is the only requirement. For others, having a good athletics department is a necessity when looking at schools to apply to.

Solana Martin, a senior at Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles, can’t wait to go to a school that has the facilities to continue her athletic career in soccer and volleyball at any level.

“I think I would [start an intramural team],” Martin said. “I would probably talk to some people, try and get some people together and try to start a team.” 

Intramural sports are structured sports leagues where students can interact with each other. But not every high school athlete specifically looks at the school’s athletic department before applying.

“Not so much,” high school senior Alexa Lara said in response to whether or not having a softball team affected where she applied. “My main goal is making sure that my major is there — and if it has sports, then that definitely helps.”

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Elizabeth Agazaryan

Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences, also known as VAAS, holds college palooza before school on Dec. 12, 2021. This event celebrates seniors and where they applied to university. (Elizabeth Agazaryan / Golden Gate Xpress)