Sophia Guinazzo
School: Pelham High School
Hometown: Pelham, N.H.
Age: 18
Parents: Jennifer Guinazzo and Eric Guinazzo
College plans: Fitchburg State University, playing volleyball and basketball.
Major: Elementary Education
Class rank: 24/127
Sports played: Volleyball, basketball and softball
Favorite HS athletic highlight:
“Out of my four years of high school my favorite athletic highlight has to be this basketball season during our regular season when we played Souhegan High Dchool, this is a moment that I will always remember because we had worked so hard in practice the week prior to prepare for this game and we played as a unit that game. Our team chemistry was so high and the energy we brought to the game was unmatched. The bench was in the game as much as the people on the court. We all supported each other and worked the ball around really well on the floor. Even after the game the energy was so high, I felt the energy all weekend. This moment really made me realize how much I love basketball and that I can’t wait to continue in college. I loved how our team just clicked. After this game I realized that our team had a really good chance to go all the way this year.”
Toughest class:
“Chemistry. This class was my toughest class because I was never super strong in any science courses. I always had a harder time remembering and learning the information given to me. I always had to work harder in science classes to achieve a good grade. I also had a harder time because it was a different teaching style than I have been used to. I had a hard time with the math portion in chemistry as well. It was weird to have to incorporate math and science together. I had a hard time wrapping my finger around it. At the same time having a different teaching style was good for me. It gave me a different perspective on comprehending work and having to teach myself some things.”
Outside of parents, biggest influence:
“My club volleyball coach, Haley Patch. She is my biggest influence because she has always been by my side and one of my biggest supporters. She has taught me countless lessons on and off the court. She has influenced me to always give my all and to always show up. She has always taught me to show up for my coaches, family, and teammates. She taught me what it’s like to have someone who is always there for you and always back you up whether it was after a mistake or in a personal situation.
“She always knew what to say to support me and get me out of my head. She gave me confidence in my abilities. She always put her personal life aside to help out her athletes. She is the toughest woman I know. Over the last year she went through so much in her personal life but still managed to show up for me. She would show up to my basketball games to support me and my team, she would even show up during my high school volleyball season and even to some of my softball games. She has influenced me to want to coach when I am older. With her guidance and diligence I hope to coach and inspire my athletes the way she has inspired me. I wouldn’t be where I am today without her.”
Best advice I’d give to incoming freshmen:
“Show up and always be kind. What I mean by show up is, show up to school and enjoy every second of it. Make those memories that will last a lifetime. Show up and meet new people, make new friends, don’t be scared to talk to someone you’ve never met. You never know the impact they can make on your life or the impact you can make on theirs. Show up to a practice or rehearsals and give it 110 percent, because your effort will show. Show up prepared for every class.
“Also always be kind, kindness can get you so far. It sounds cliche but being kind to someone can be anything from giving a compliment or even just a smile in the hallway. Being kind can give people so much respect for you. Also kindness can change lives, it can change someone’s perspective on themselves or of you. So in your four years never be scared to show up and be kind to everyone.”
The balance of being a successful student-athlete:
“Being a student-athlete isn’t an easy task to do. You have not only performed on the courts/fields you play on, but also perform well in your classes. In order to be a successful student-athlete you have to have good time management. I will always take school and my education more seriously than my sports because being able to play your sport is a privilege and you have to be getting good grades and be a good student in order to be an athlete. As much as I love to play my sports more than anything, school always comes first. I always make sure I give at least an hour or two at home to catch up on work or to do homework. At the same time it isn’t all about time management.
“Being a student-athlete is a huge mental toll, it is a lot to think about which can lead to stress. I always make sure I stay on top of my things and prioritize things that are most important to limit stress. Stress will always be there. It is something that you will always have to deal with but with less on your plate to think about it will go down. Being a student-athlete can come with some overthinking as well.
“People tend to overthink about their performances in classes and on the court/fields, but a way I always manage this is I have friends and family who always remind me that if I give it my all and not give up then there is nothing else I can do about it but move on and try to do better next time. They always remind me it is just a race with myself and to just keep giving my all and not to give up and progress will show.”
What success means to me:
“Success can mean a lot of things but what it means to me is being able to work towards my goals and exceeding them. I have many goals in my life that I strive to complete. I make sure I work hard everyday to complete these goals I have for myself. I know that one day I will be able to exceed my goals if I keep putting in the effort and working hard towards them. It is never an easy task to do but I always make sure to have a good mindset and to work extra hard on the days that it feels impossible. With the passion I have for my goals in life, I know I will be successful.”
What I’m most proudest of in HS:
“I am most proud of my achievements as an athlete in high school. I have received recognition for 100+ kills in a volleyball season. This was very big for me because being a big impact on a court has always been a dream of mine and being able to achieve it has meant so much to me. I am also so proud to at least have been either All-State or Honorable Mention three of four years of my high school career for basketball.
“My sophomore year I received 3rd team All-State. I was extremely shocked by this achievement, but I was so beyond proud of myself. This made me realize my potential in basketball and it made me want to work harder and strive to get better. Then my junior year I made 2nd team All-State. This made me so happy and I truly saw all of my progress and hard work I have put in. This year is when I started to take volleyball more seriously, I then made 2nd team All-State and made the All Star team my senior year of high school. Then during basketball season I made honorable mention and made the All-Star team as well. I am so beyond proud of all of my achievements.”
Favorite charity:
“Anything that goes towards cancer research. The reason for this is because I have lost a family member to cancer. To have someone you love that is struggling and you not being able to help is such a hard thing to comprehend, and I will always choose any cancer charity to ensure we fund-raise the money so eventually no one has to go through that awful feeling. It is such a terrible disease that I hope that one day people will find a cure or anything to stop people dying or getting really ill from this awful disease.”
Best advice I got from a coach:
“My coach Jason Riley said, ‘If you’re going to do something, give it your all.’ He is the coach that truly cares about his athletes and it shows how much work he puts into his coaching. He would inspire us to always give our all. He would have Saturday practices where we would hit weights and condition, and not once did he not give his all into inspiring us to push harder and give it everything we have. He has said countless times “give 110%, and don’t lift your foot off the gas” this truly inspired me and my teammates it taught us lessons off the court too.
“I understood it as don’t take things lightly, do everything you do with passion, do it with effort. With this advice it completely changed my perspective on things.
“It changed how I acted in my efforts towards everything I did. Coach Riley also always showed that he never took things lightly as well, he would take time out of his everyday life to write up pep talks for us, print out inspirational quotes that would get us hyped up and ready for our games. With his coaching style no one on our team took basketball as just an “after school activity” we understood it as a lifestyle and to give it our all.”
My hero is …:
“It’s not one person, it’s two … my parents. They have never failed to support me and my dreams. They have pushed me to do my best and get all the help I need to achieve my dream and goals. They truly have sacrificed a lot for me and my brothers. Even with such a tight schedule they always make sure to show up to me and my brothers games and shows. Even though my dad travels a lot he always takes time to text me or watch my games online. They have shown me what it is like to show up for the ones you love. They have taught me countless lessons that will stay with me forever.
“I truly appreciate everything that they have done for me. It is truly inspirational to see how much they really do for the ones they care about. I inspire to be like them as a parent in every way possible.”
In 10 years I hope to be …:
“Teaching a third grade class in Boca Raton, Fla., I hope that my class is always excited to come to school and that I have inspired them to learn new things and make new friends. I want to be the teacher that changes my students’ perspective on school. I want them to be excited to learn. I want them to use the things I’ve taught them even outside the classroom, I want to teach them everyday things.
“I also hope to be a part time real estate agent and go house shopping to help people find their dream homes and help them feel comfortable in an environment that they can call home. I also hope to be a head coach for a high school volleyball team and basketball team.
“I want to inspire student athletes to do their best in everything they do. I want to inspire them to continue to play at the collegiate level. I don’t want to be a coach where my athletes lose their love for their sport. I want them to love their sport even more than they ever have. I want my athletes to give 110% in everything they do. I want to teach them lessons that they can use in life that’s not only on the court.”
High School Achievements:
Achieved a 4.02 GPA
Completed 170 hours of community service
Have made high honor roll every year
School record for most kills in a season which is 100+
MVP award for my senior year volleyball season
Teammate award for my junior year for basketball
Coach’s award senior year for basketball
President of Spanish honor society
Member of art honor society
Member of National honor society
3rd Team All-State Sophomore year for basketball
2nd team All-State junior year for basketball
2nd team All-State Senior year for volleyball
Honorable Mention Senior year for basketball
Played for the All-Star team for volleyball and basketball for my senior year
Two honorable mention art awards from scholastics.