At this time last year, Amanda Cabrera was at the bottom of the Desert View volleyball depth chart. Now she's the starting middle hitter and a role model for her team.
Cabrera, a 17-year-old senior, spent the off-season working on her approach footwork and blocking technique. Off the court, she won a national art contest.
Cabrera's portrait of her grandmother, drawn with a chalk and wax mixture called Conté crayon, earned a congressional art award this spring and will be on display in the Cannon Tunnel in Washington for a year. The Cannon Tunnel is an underground walkway that connects the Cannon House Office Building to the Capitol.
All the success in her extracurricular activities comes after she helped out her family. Cabrera took a year off from volleyball her freshman year to care for her then-2-year-old twin siblings, Emile and George.
People are also reading…
"She still reads them bedtime stories and goes to their open houses at school," mom Cynthia Galaz said.
Her work ethic has helped her also flourish academically: She posted a 3.0 grade-point average last semester.
Cabrera would like to play college volleyball but hasn't heard from scouts yet. She plans to attend the University of Arizona or an art institute if volleyball does not pan out.
But Desert View coach Danny Arias said Cabrera doesn't need a Plan B.
"She's got the drive and determination that make anything possible," he said. "I don't see why a coach wouldn't want a player like that."
Three things to know about Cabrera:
1. Roald Dahl is her favorite author. Cabrera spends any free time reading short stories and horror stories, but especially likes the British writer's quirky tales.
"He writes stories with weird twists at the end," she said. "I just love them because you don't expect the endings at all."
2. She wants to be a midwife or a tattoo artist. Cabrera discovered her love for babies when she helped care for Emile and George, and she became interested in tattoos a year later when she started drawing.
"I have people who see the way I draw, and they say, 'That would be so cool if I could get a tattoo like that,'" she said. "That's when I first got the idea. How cool would it be to have my artwork on people?"
3. She has a passion for fashion. Cabrera uses her creative eye to make bold and colorful statements through clothing, makeup and nail polish. A typical outfit consists of a dark purple top, leggings, bulky jewelry and Vans with her designs drawn on them.
"I use all that as a way to express myself," she said.
