Betsy Malecha

MIHEC Student Profile

As the youngest in my family, I watched my brothers and sister play a lot of different sports. I wanted to join in, and today I’m in pretty much every sport through school and Special Olympics. I play hockey, racquetball, softball, soccer, and others, and I’m in cross country and track.

I love the friends and the socializing in sports. When I managed the girls’ hockey team last year, some of the players said I made the locker room more fun. I liked that. Through my church, I volunteer and go on mission trips, and I love the teamwork involved in that, too.

Visiting a lot of college campuses where my brothers, sister, and cousins attend has given me a good look at what college will be like. There are always a lot of people around, and I like that.

At college, I’d like to learn more about physical education and become a gym teacher and coach. I’m a high school junior now and am thinking about doing a transition year after high school. I’m a little afraid of leaving high school because I’ve gotten so comfortable here, but to move on and get paid to be active and teach sports to people would be great.

It’s kind of like the tough hills and the heat in cross country. The hills are the hardest part of the sport and sometimes the heat is hard to deal with, but I do it for the friendships I make, the cool rides to the meets in the coach bus, and the pasta parties.

Work hard, do your homework, and get good grades. That’s what I’m trying to do to get to college.