Time Out with Cecilia Tapia: 2014 American Canyon High graduate

Vince D’Adamo: What have you enjoyed most about competing in athletics throughout your life?

Cecilia Tapia: I definitely enjoyed making new friends while competing in athletics, I was always really shy but through volleyball, basketball, and track I made a lot of great friendships. There's also a lot to learn about responsibility with athletics, and I'm glad I was able to learn those lessons and just grow as a person before moving away to college.

Tapia: What have you been up to since graduating from high school?

Tapia: After graduating in 2014 I started school at the University of California, Irvine. I major in Public Health and have been working at UCI Catering and the UCI Department of Medicine in the Hematology/ Oncology Department. I have also joined extracurricular activities such as TEDxUCIrvine, Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women, and intramural sports.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite class here at American Canyon High?

Tapia: My favorite class at ACHS was Fitness for Life High Impact because the whole basketball team was in that class and it was always fun. Sports Medicine was also one of my favorite classes because it was a hands on learning experience and I was able to wrap/ tape up teammates before games if necessary.

D’Adamo: What was it like being part of history at American Canyon High as the school opened?

Tapia: It was a completely different high school experience than most people have had. When I moved to Irvine and talked about high school stories with new friends they always had a lot of tradition and more structure compared to us. It's really great knowing that I had a part in shaping the traditions and structure at ACHS, but I do wish there were more resources available to help me understand the little things like how AP classes transfer to certain classes in college or how different colleges/ universities will impact your learning experience.

D’Adamo: How much do you feel you have grown personally since high school and how much of that growth do you trace to athletics?

Tapia: I feel like I have grown immensely as a person since my graduation. A lot of it has to do with me moving away from home and just figuring out what I want to do with my life, but the responsibility and time management skills I have trace back to athletics in high school. I think athletics also helped a lot with my confidence and social skills and without that I wouldn't have done a very good job of meeting people out in Irvine.

D’Adamo: Within your family who have been the most influential people?

Tapia: My parents are definitely the most influential people in my life. They have always been supportive, but with me moving away they pushed me to try new things and get out of my comfort zone while also giving me enough space so that I'm able to just figure life out on my own. I'm slowing finding myself doing things that remind me of my parents and my relationship with them has grown a lot.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports, that you would most like to meet.

Tapia: I would have liked to meet Aristotle, just because I recently took a class about his works and I find his philosophy very interesting so it would be cool to be able to talk to him or just learn from his first hand.